


Zutara Month 2020

by duCOQUELICOT



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Zutara Month, Zutara Month 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-18
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:40:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 38,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22791121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/duCOQUELICOT/pseuds/duCOQUELICOT
Summary: A collection of bits and pieces for my 'Gem of the Setting Sun' universe. Jumping back and forward in time, so will contain spoilers, but I guess it's okay because we all want Zutara to happen anyway :). These works will find their way back into the story, one way or another.
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 31
Kudos: 74
Collections: Zutara Month 2020





	1. Day one: The Blue Spirit and the Painted Lady

It was strange to be back in the Fire Nation palace, but at the same time it felt as if she had never left. Katara loved wandering around the endless galleries, which all seemed to have a magnificent view of either the courtyard or the mountains. She enjoyed being by herself, letting her thoughts roam free in front of her, walking them out of her system.

It was on one of those walks that she discovered a room that had been carefully sealed off. Katara stood before it, debating whether to enter. She dismissed the thought at first and continued her stroll. But she found her feet returning to the same spot again and again, until her curiosity got the better of her. Cautiously, she used her bending to break the seal, then looked around before placing her hand on the doorknob.

Inside, she found a bedroom. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, except that the place was eerily quiet. No one had been here in a very, very long time, Katara sensed. 

On one of the walls hung a large mirror. Katara caught her own reflection out of the corner of her eye, and she turned around to see. It surprised her more than she was willing to admit. She hardly recognized the girl - young woman - standing before her. Her face was less round than when she was younger, she was taller, and she found the expression in her eyes altogether hard to understand. She frowned, and Katara on the other side of the mirror frowned. They stared at each other in what seemed like a silent battle.

Then, Katara noticed that the panel the mirror was placed on, didn’t completely line up with the panel next to it. She reached out, curved her fingers around one of the edges and pulled lightly. To her shock, the whole panel flung forward and the mirror almost hit her in the face. She jumped back. The panel had uncovered a hidden cabinet. There were no shelves, merely a backdrop, on which several masks were displayed. 

Katara recognized the masks - they were from a play she remembered going to with Toph a few months back. Toph had been bored throughout, but Katara, who hadn’t been to a professional play before - she didn’t count the Ember Island Players as professionals - was enchanted by the story and the actors. She remembered the name now: Love Amongst the Dragons.

An itch crawled up from her lower back to the nape of her neck. Zuko had mentioned that play before, she realized, but when? She pained her thoughts, pacing up and down the empty bedroom - which, somehow, still smelled like perfume and flowers - until she remembered him mentioning it while they were on Ember Island before the comet. It was his mom’s favorite play. 

That must mean this was his mom’s bedroom, she reasoned. Katara stopped walking to look at the collection of masks again. All the players were there, except for the mask of the Dark Water Spirit. She then remembered that during the play, that particular character had seemed so familiar to her, and she mentioned it to Toph, who only shrugged, because of course she had no idea what the masks looked like. But now everything came together. The mask had seemed familiar, because she had in fact seen it before: it was the same mask worn by one of the Ember Island players during their rendition of their adventures. 

Katara sat down on the bed. There was a fine layer of dust on everything in the room, and she reckoned someone should open a window in here, but she didn’t want to be the one to do it. Obviously, if Zuko wanted this room to be used, he would have taken care of it by now. 

For some reason, the mask kept bugging her. She knew that the collection of masks in here and the mask in the play didn’t need to be connected - Love Amongst the Dragons was a famous and very popular play, and anyone could have a Blue Spirit mask in their homes, but all in all, it was suspicious to her that that particular mask was missing, and that someone had worn that mask while rescuing Aang.

The only solution would be to ask Zuko about it, she concluded. But doing so would reveal that she sneaked into his mom’s bedroom, and Katara was hesitant about owning up to that. She decided to leave the matter to rest, for now. Gently, she closed the panel, left the room and sealed the door. No one would ever have to know she had even been there.

***

THUMP

Katara was a light sleeper, and when she heard the dull sound of something heavy hitting the ground, she opened her eyes. Her heart was pounding in her chest, even though she wasn’t particularly afraid: it was excitement more than fear that made her blood rush and her mouth turn dry. 

Slowly, she slid out under the covers, tip-toeing to the window. It was a chilly night, just as she liked them. Katara had excellent night vision, especially when the moon was as bright as tonight, and within seconds she spotted the tall creature on the other end of the courtyard.

Zuko had given her a small room, at her own request. The only thing she specifically asked for was a room that faced the courtyard, so she’d have easy access to a large body of water, should the need arise. It might come in handy now, she thought as she slipped into her shoes. 

Without making a sound, she opened the window panel - which doubled as a door - and stepped onto the pavement. With her skills, she’d be able to reach the dark figure with ease. Katara didn’t waste any time thinking about it. Her muscle memory took over, first pulling the water in the pond closer, then extending it along the length of her mind to its destination. She moved her hands in sync with her thoughts, enveloping the stranger in a thick coat of ice so dense that they’d be unable to move even if they used all their strength.

She heard a muffled cry and knew that she had accomplished her goal. She was already running, her slippers clacking on the ground. But she didn’t need to be quiet anymore. 

When she was only a couple feet away from her target, she came to a sudden stop.

“Zuko?”

“How did you know it was me?“ 

“I’d recognize that hairdo anywhere,” Katara said and she lifted her hands to thaw the ice.

With his freedom returned to him, Zuko moved his limbs and used his fire to dry his clothes. He was wearing the same dark garments they wore on their mission to the Southern Raiders, Katara noticed.

When he turned around, Katara was surprised to see his face covered by the Blue Spirit mask. She gasped and immediately covered her mouth with her hands.

“What is it?” Zuko sounded agitated. He lifted the mask and rested it on the back of his head.

“You’re the Blue Spirit!" 

"Of course I’m not the Blue Spirit.”

“Yes, yes you are.” Everything clicked. The play, the bedroom, the missing mask, the clothes, Aang’s rescuer, everything. Words left her mouth before Katara could stop them. 

“You’re the one who saved Aang when he was captured by Zhao. You were the one the Ember Island Players referenced in the play about us. You grabbed the mask from your mother’s bedroom. And now you’re…”

“How do you know about my mother’s bedroom?” he interrupted her. 

“I’m sorry. I sneaked in. I shouldn’t have.” She bowed her head.

Zuko sighed. “I hate coming there. That whole part of the palace feels… dead, somehow. So I closed it off. You weren’t supposed to go in there.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“How do you know about the mask anyway? You found the secret cabinet, didn’t you?" 

Katara nodded. "The last person to open the panel didn’t close it properly.” She casted a side eye at Zuko, who blushed.

“Yeah, well…” his voice trailed. He tried to scratch the back of his head, but his fingers grazed against the mask that was still there, and he froze. It looked pretty funny and Katara couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Obviously you took the mask,” she said, feeling a little more confident to speak up. “And you were planning to sneak out. What are you even doing bringing those?” She nodded at the Dao swords in their sheath, leaning against the wall that Zuko was about to climb over when Katara froze him in place.

“I was going on a walk,” Zuko gruffed, but Katara merely raised an eyebrow, and he turned an even darker shade of pink now.

“Allright, not a walk. I was going to see if I could infiltrate the headquarters of that conspiracy that’s plotting to kill me.”

A couple months earlier, when they were all together on Kyoshi Island, someone had attacked Zuko. Luckily, Katara, Toph and Suki were able to prevent serious harm from being done. After that, Katara had asked Suki and the Kyoshi warriors to act as bodyguards to Zuko to keep him safe. Zuko had been under constant protection since then, and no further attacks had happened - but everyone in the palace was tensed.

“Don’t tell Uncle,” Zuko warned Katara. She shook her head. The old general had come back from Ba Sing Se as soon as he heard about the murder attempt, cursing himself for ever thinking of leaving his nephew behind in the viper rat’s nest he knew the Fire Nation to be. Zuko had only been glad to have his uncle near him again.

But they all knew how worried Zuko really was. He was constantly practicing his bending, being snappy with Mai, and always wore this anxious, serious look on his face. Katara was one of the only people who dared to even go near him, first because she could easily match Zuko’s temper with her own and second because she wanted to make sure he didn’t stop eating, or sleeping, or generally functioning as a human being. 

“Just let me come with you,” she said. He raised his eyebrows, opened his mouth and then closed it again. Katara frowned, and the look in his eyes turned from sceptical to scared. 

“You aren’t going to tell me I can’t come with you, are you now?” She placed her hands on her hips and brought her face closer to his.

“Of… of course not,” he stammered. “I just thought…”

“That’s a dangerous hobby,” Katara shut him off. She leaned back and started braiding her hair. If she was going on a mission tonight, she wanted it out of her way. 

“Did I ever tell you about the time when I pretended to be a Fire Nation spirit?” she said imperturbably, while her fingers continued to weave strands of chestnut hair into a tight braid. Zuko, clearly unsure of how to respond, merely flapped his arms.

“I don’t think you did, no,” he said.

“Well, I was,” she said, and she placed the finished braid on her back, lining it up with her spine. “It was before we ran into you. We found this village on a river that was polluted because of an army factory nearby, and I wanted to help them. Then I learned about the spirit of the village, the Painted Lady.”

“I think I’ve heard of her before,” Zuko said. “The Jang Hui river spirit?”

“Yes, that’s the one. So I decided to become the Painted Lady and help the villagers, because it was the right thing to do. In the end, we were able to clean up the river. And the real Painted Lady showed up to thank me.” Katara smiled thinking back about it.

“Well, the Blue Spirit isn’t such a nice spirit,” Zuko shrugged. 

“I’ve seen the play.”

“Oh. When?”

“With Toph, a couple of months ago.”

“Did you like it?” Katara noticed Zuko sounded more excited than he had done the past few weeks.

“I loved it,” she answered truthfully. “I think it’s a great play."”

"Yeah, my mom loved it too. She had this whole collection - but you know this.”

“You know, we could stand around here talking about the play for a bit longer, or we could climb over that wall and find out who is trying to kill you,” Katara said dryly. 

“Right.” Zuko grabbed the Blue Spirit mask from behind his head and placed it in front of his eyes. 

“Aren’t you going to wear anything?” he asked, his voice slightly muffled. 

“Like a mask?” Katara thought about it for a second. “I suppose it might come in handy. Wait here.”

She ran back to her room, opened her bag and rummaged through it until she found the face paint she had used to transform herself into the Painted Lady. She also grabbed her dark coat, which had a large hood that concealed her face. Back outside, she closed the panel behind her and used the reflection in the pond to paint the characteristic marks on her face. She felt sorry about not having the full outfit ready, but she’d have to make do with what she had.

“Ok, ready to go.” She was actually surprised that Zuko had decided to wait for her. While she was getting her stuff, he could easily have snuck out. It was sort of touching that he hadn’t.

He nodded. “Great. One of my guards gave me some intel this morning that I think will lead us to their headquarters. It shouldn’t be too far from the palace - they’re not particularly afraid of me, I think,” Zuko said with a sad laugh. 

“We’ll give them a reason to be afraid of you,” Katara promised. “Now, let’s not waste more time." 

And with that, they climbed over the wall and disappeared into the night.


	2. Day two: Momtara and Dadko

“It’s colder here than I remembered,” said Zuko to no one in particular. He was sitting outside, wearing one of Hakoda’s old parkas. Katara had given it to him when they were still on the boat. **  
**

“You’ll thank me later,” she had said, and she’d given him a warm, sincere smile. Zuko didn’t know whether she acted that way because she had saved his life again, or because she just liked him. He still couldn’t get used to being liked that much by anyone.

Zuko still hadn’t thanked her for the parka. And he felt he didn’t adequately thank her for saving his life either. 

Right at that moment, Katara emerged from one of the igloes, a bunch of children on her coattails. She was laughing with them, lifting them up in the air occasionally as they circled around her, almost trampling each other and falling over because they all wanted to get her attention. Katara was all ears, all eyes, and all smiles. 

Zuko noticed that even though there were at least seven kids surrounding her - he couldn’t really make out an exact number because they were moving around so much - no one got left behind. Katara knew exactly how to ensure that all of them felt just as loved and admired as all the others.

He realized he had been smiling, and quickly drew his mouth in the usual position. It reminded him of when he was little, and his mother was still there. She’d always make time for him, even when she was busy. How lucky those kids were, he thought, to have someone like Katara in their life. 

She saw him and waved. He lifted his hand, didn’t know what to do with it, and just let it hang there for a couple of seconds before he lowered it again. As usual, he was being a complete and utter idiot.

“Why don’t you come join us?" 

Zuko jerked his head upwards. Katara yelled at him across the field of snow, and the kids all cheered. 

"Yeah, Zuko, come play with us!" 

Before he could find a way to respectfully decline, the children were already running towards him, grabbing his hands, trying to get him on his feet. They were surprisingly strong when all of them hung onto his mittens. Finally, he gave in, stretched his legs and stood up.

Katara was right behind them, her cheeks rose-colored from running through the thick pack of snow. She beamed at him, and her laugh was contagious. 

They entertained the children for a good while, playing games with them, tickling them, showing them tricks with their bending. There were two kids in the group who also showed signs of waterbending abilities, Katara told them while they were catching their breath. Zuko wheezed as he rested his hands on his knees.

"I’m getting too old for this,” he managed to get out in between drawing gasps for air. Katara just chuckled.

“I suppose you are,” she said, but she wasn’t doing much better. They sat down on the bench that Zuko had been sitting on before.

“You’re really great with kids,” he complimented her. She waved her hand dismissively. 

“It’s nothing. That’s just what you learn to do when all the other moms are gone." 

The bitterness in her voice was palpable, and Zuko immediately realized his mistake.

"I’m sorry,” he said quietly, not daring to look at her. 

She put her hand on his arm.

“It’s ok. It’s something we have in common, right?”

He turned his head towards her again. 

“I definitely didn’t pick up any mothering skills when my mom disappeared,” he said, mocking himself. “And my father wasn’t a great parenting example either.”

“But you learned everything from Iroh,” Katara objected. “He’s a wonderful man.”

Zuko smiled. “Yeah, he is. And I guess you’re right.”

A question formed in his mind.

“Do you want children someday?”

Katara’s face turned into an expression he couldn’t identify. 

“I do.” She paused. “But I want them on my own terms. Not because anyone else demands it of me.”

“Sounds like someone is already making demands,” Zuko said. He hoped it would make her laugh, but she just seemed to sink further back into her thoughts.

“I don’t really have a choice,” he said hastily to distract her. “I mean, they’ll expect an heir sooner or later.” He shuddered at the idea. Leading a nation was one thing, but being a father, raising kids… Zuko honestly didn’t know if he would ever be ready for that.

“You don’t look too happy about that,” Katara said.

“I just don’t know if I’ll be able to do it right. What if I’m a terrible father? Maybe you can’t be a good Fire Lord and a good father at the same time.” He sighed, kneading his parka with his hands.

“Nonsense. You’ll do great,” she replied cheerily. 

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because, I just know. Besides, you were the only one who helped me with the chores without complaining. And those kids love you,” Katara said and pointed at the group of seven year olds. They were building a snowman.

“Thanks, Katara,” he said. “I have to keep thanking you. For the parka, for saving my life again, for cheering me up.”

“You would do the same for me.” Katara smiled and reached out her hand. 

“Come on, let’s go build a snowman.”


	3. Day three: Season 4 Zutara

“Did you know about this?“ **  
**

Zuko flinched, and spilled ink on the parchment he was writing on. Katara was _not_ happy.

“Did I know about what?” he tried cautiously. 

“ _This._ “ 

Suddenly, his whole desk was covered in scrolls. They were sealed with the wax seal of the Fire Nation library, but when Zuko inspected them a little more carefully he realized they were Water Tribe scrolls. And given Katara’s outburst, she probably wasn’t too happy to have found them in his palace.

"You stole this from us!" 

"Come on, I didn’t steal anything.” He looked up and stared right into Katara’s dark and fiery eyes.

“Oh, let me rephrase. The _Fire Nation_ stole this from us. And you never said anything to me about it!”

“Look, Katara, I didn’t even know they were there -” Zuko didn’t get the chance to finish his sentence, because Katara had already stormed out. 

He looked around his study, and saw Suki standing inconspicuously in the corner, near the window. She shrugged when she caught his eye. 

“You probably should have told her about it,” was all she said.

Zuko threw his hands in the air in exasperation. 

“But I really didn’t know they were – never mind.” In one swoop, he gathered all the scrolls in his arms and ran out the door.

Katara was sitting on the grass near the pond, tearing up a loaf of bread and feeding it to the turtle ducks. She threw the pieces in the water, not really looking whether she hit one of the poor creatures or not.

“Could you please stop attacking my turtle ducks?” Zuko said. He lifted all the scrolls into his left arm and pointed with his right hand at the ducks, who were quacking anxiously while trying to avoid the avalanche of bread raining down on them.

“Oh no. I’m sorry, little ducklings, it’s not your fault.” Katara put the loaf beside her, raised her knees to her chin and locked arms in front of her legs. 

“You should take the scrolls,” Zuko said, holding them out. But she didn’t make a move to grab them. He sighed, put them down beside her, and sat down himself.

For a couple of minutes, they didn’t speak. The sun was slowly setting behind the caldera, and the shadows grew longer and longer. In this golden light, the whole palace had an almost magical aura.

“Sometimes, I feel really happy here,” Katara said at last. She picked up the bread again, crumbling it between her fingers. “But other times, it’s like everything reminds me of the war, of everything we lost. Everything I lost.”

“Would you believe me if I told you I feel the same way?” Zuko glanced at her from the corner of his eye. 

She pursed her lips. 

“I can see that,” she replied slowly, still not looking at him. The bread was turning into dust.

“I have all these duties,” he said, waving his arms around. “I never have a moment for myself. I know that my mother is still out there, somewhere, and that I should try to find her. But I don’t even know where to find time to _think_.”

He shut up, suddenly embarrassed. 

“Maybe you should tell them all to walk into a volcano,” Katara said. “And just go look for her.”

“I thought we were talking about you,” he said.

“Well, you always find a way to make every conversation about you,” she replied, but she smiled when she said it. 

Once again, Zuko pushed the scrolls closer towards her.

“You really should take them. The Fire Nation has no right to hold onto them. Perhaps you should turn the library upside down, see what else you can find that shouldn’t be there.”

“Maybe you can come help me,” she said. “That should be fun.”

“If I do that, will you come with me to find my mother?”

Zuko closed his eyes. Out of nowhere, he felt Katara grabbing his hand and giving it a light squeeze.

“I will, I promise." 

He felt the heat rise to his cheeks. Katara squeezed his hand again.

"You’re almost cute when you turn pink like that." 

Zuko didn’t know whether to be offended by the _almost cute_ remark, or the fact that she was making fun of him for blushing. He opened his mouth to say something, but couldn’t find any words.

Katara laughed, then planted a kiss on his cheek. It was cool, and soft, and Zuko had absolutely no idea where to look. He let go of her hand.

Now she looked embarrassed, sad even. He realized his mistake and grabbed her hands again.

"I mean, you’re almost a nice person when you smile?”

Luckily, she laughed. 

“I’m glad we’re friends, Zuko. Thanks for the scrolls. Let’s meet at the library tomorrow morning. Maybe we can find some clues about where your mom is while we’re there.”

He nodded, glad to have this weird moment behind them. 

“Sounds good. I’ll see you tomorrow." 

He let go of her hands for the last time that day.


	4. Day four: Don't hurt her/him

Katara saw them before they saw her. She dropped the basket she was carrying and ran up the hill, shouting their names. **  
**

“Aang! Toph! Zuko! It’s so great to see you!“

She crashed into them, throwing her arms around their necks and shoulders, trying to hug all of them at once. Aang and Zuko butted heads, and Toph was smothered between their bodies.

With one well-placed earthbending move, the girl pushed everyone out of each other’s way.

"Nice to see you too, Katara,” she said. “Next time, try not to break my bones, will you?”

Katara held her hand in front of her mouth to conceal her giggle. She caught Aang’s eye, who was looking at her warmly. She smiled.

“I’ve missed you all so much. Come with me, Suki and Sokka and the others are near the village." 

They made their way down, taking their time. Soon enough, they could hear other voices from behind the foliage. 

"There you are! We’ve been looking for you –” Sokka pushed aside some vines, looked at their faces and stopped talking for a second. His face broke into a wide smile.

“Suki! You need to come see this!” he shouted.

“I’m right here, what’s the fuss? Oh, hey you guys!” Suki’s head appeared and she, too, was smiling. 

Back in the village, Hakoda and his men already started making lunch. Katara and Suki decided to chop some vegetables, while Zuko and Sokka joined the other warriors in preparing the freshly hunted meat. Toph decided Aang needed to practice his earthbending and pulled him away for a lesson.

“It’s great to be together again,” Katara said while she worked her way through a mountain of carrots. 

Suki nodded. Skillfully, she removed the seeds from the bell peppers she was cutting up. They were standing next to the stock pot, which was already filled with several vegetables, water and spices. 

“I wonder what they’re doing here. I’m sure they didn’t know you guys were even here,” Suki said.

Katara frowned. “I must’ve mentioned it in my letter,” she said.

“You sent Aang a letter?" 

"No, not Aang, Zuko.”

“You sent _Zuko_ a letter?” Suki sounded genuinely surprised. 

Katara turned around to look at her. 

“You say it like it’s a weird thing for me to do.”

“No, not at all,” Suki replied lightly. “I just didn’t know you kept in touch.”

“Are you girls ready yet?” Sokka walked up to them and threw his arm around Suki’s shoulders. Standing next to her, he kissed the warrior girl on her hair. 

“It’s so good to be with you again,” he said, his voice laced with admiration. Katara rolled her eyes. 

“We’ve been here for over a week and yet you keep acting as if every day is the first time you see her,” she said while putting her carrots in the pot. She bended some fresh water from the well at the center of the village into the pot. 

“Now all we need is some fire. Zuko?" 

Zuko walked up to them. He took a deep breath, stretched his arm and pointed his palm towards the pot. The next moment, bright orange flames appeared underneath. 

"That’s great, thanks Zuko,” Katara said and she briefly put her hand on Zuko’s arm. He immediately changed color.

But Katara didn’t notice. She walked over to Hakoda, who was roasting their kill from that morning on an open fire. It already smelled great. 

“The soup will need another ten minutes or so,” she said. Hakoda pointed at the roast. 

“This too. Looks like you timed it perfectly. Just like you did this morning.”

Katara smiled. She was happy that she’d been able to show off her negotiating skills to her father. If he was impressed enough, he might be convinced to make her ambassador of their tribe. She’d be able to travel the world again, and not have to worry about fighting a war this time. She’d come in peace. 

Hakoda pulled his daughter in for a hug. 

“I’m proud of you, Katara,” he said, and kissed her on the head. She wrapped her arms around him.

“Thanks dad. I love you,” she said to his chest. He was still so much bigger than she was, even though she grew a lot over the past year. 

The earth rumbled underneath their feet. Katara jumped away from her father and assumed a fighting stance. She looked around, trying to see what caused the small earthquake.

“Relax, it’s probably just Toph teaching Aang some moves,” Sokka said. 

But Katara didn’t relax. Something was wrong, she could feel it. She looked at Suki, who wiped her hands on her apron and took it off. She wasn’t wearing her warrior outfit, but both of them knew she’d be just as capable in regular clothes.

Zuko’s eyes scanned the surroundings. “I’ve been feeling as if someone followed us since we left Ba Sing Se,” he said. “I thought we’d lost them, coming here on Appa. But maybe I was wrong." 

The words had barely left his mouth when everything started shaking again. Katara could hardly keep her footing, and she dug her heels deep into the sand to make sure she’d stay upright. She released the water from her flask, comfortable knowing that if she needed, there’d be a whole ocean lying there, waiting for her. 

She heard a cry behind her, and when she turned around to look, Zuko was gone. 

"Zuko!" 

Katara couldn’t believe her eyes. A moment ago, he was talking about being followed and now, he vanished. 

Hakoda pointed towards the bushes. "I think someone grabbed him and went that way.”

“Thanks, dad. Suki, let’s go." Katara wrapped her water around her hands and ran into the bushes. Suki followed suit, pulling her fans seemingly out of thin air. 

"Wait for me!” Sokka ran towards the boat, where he had left his weapons. He ran after them, boomerang in hand.

“Zuko!” Katara didn’t bother trying to be quiet. This was a rescue mission, not a sneak attack. She slashed leaves and branches out of her way left and right. Still no sign of Zuko. Whoever grabbed him sure was fast.

Suddenly, they were on the road again. In the distance, Katara could make out someone who was trying to get up the mountain.

“That way!”

Toph appeared, with Aang right behind her. He looked anxious, while she looked determined.

"Trouble?” she asked.

Katara nodded. “Zuko,” she said and pointed.

“No one kidnaps that moody teenager without my permission,” Toph said, rubbing her palms together. “Let’s see if we can get them to stop running away.“ 

Toph stomped her foot on the ground, sending a barrage of earth pillars all the way up the mountain. Katara held her hand above her head and grinned when she saw the kidnapper being flung into the air, then crashing down again.

"I think you hit Zuko there, too,” Suki mentioned. Toph snorted.

“He can be grateful that I’m saving his life." 

With Katara at the helm, they started running again. They quickly gained ground on the kidnapper, and as soon as she came within reach, Katara used her water tentacles to grab both of them in a tight hold.

But the attacker was a bender, too, and he used his feet to throw her off balance, just like Toph had done with him. He sent Katara flying and she landed painfully on her back. Aang saw her fall and helped her get up.

"I’m fine,” she gruffed. “Worry about Zuko, not about me." 

"Twinkle toes! Think about what I just taught you and come help me!” Toph and the kidnapper were engaged in a one on one battle, and the mysterious person seemed like a Dai Li agent with his skill and technique. Toph was the greatest earthbender in the world, but he was fast, and she could use the backup.

With Aang occupied, Katara focused on the fight again. Sokka threw his boomerang and would have scored a hit, if it weren’t for Suki knocking the guy off his feet with a low kick. Sokka threw his hands in the air.

“Suki! We’re supposed to be a team!”

“I’m sorry Sokka, I wasn’t trying to steal your moment!” Suki tried to use her fingers to chi-block, but the kidnapper was too agile and stayed just out of reach. He turned around, grabbed Zuko - who hadn’t moved at all - and pushed him towards the edge of the road. He was still holding onto Zuko, but if he’d let go, no doubt Zuko would fall at least twelve feet down into the valley. 

That was the moment Katara decided she’d had enough. She engulfed the kidnapper with almost all the water she had in her flask, freezing it in place as soon as it hit him. With what she had left, she made a tentacle to grab Zuko before he could fall and break at least a few bones.

Not a second later, a loud _WHANG_ could be heard as Sokka’s boomerang finally hit its target. He did a little victory dance and immediately went to take care of his new prisoner.

Toph clapped her hands. 

“Well done, Sugar Queen! Nice moves. Aang, you really should be practicing more. Otherwise, you won’t even be half as good as Katara. Or me.” And she grinned.

Aang ran over to Zuko to see if he was okay. He had some gashes on his face and the huge bump on his head made it clear why he hadn’t tried to fight back before. The kidnapper had been able to knock him unconscious with one well-aimed shot.

“Ouch, that looks really ugly,” Aang said and cringed. Zuko was still hardly able to speak. Katara stepped in, while Suki went over to Sokka to help tie up the former kidnapper. 

“No one hurts my friends,” murmured Katara to herself with a grim face as she sat down on her knees. She had used all her water on her last attack, but she was able to draw enough water from the nearby trees and plants to cover her hands. 

“I won’t be able to make the bump go away completely,” she said apologetically to Zuko, who closed his eyes as he winced, “but at least I can heal your face wounds and ease the pain." 

From the corner of her eye, she noticed Aang looking forlorn. Sometimes, she thought, he really was just a twelve year old boy. She couldn’t shake her irritation with the fact that he had kept to the sidelines so much this time. Normally, she admired his refusal to attack someone directly, but when friends were in danger, she expected a bit more from him.

"Can I help with anything?” she heard him ask, as if he had heard her thoughts. 

“Maybe you can help me get Zuko back on his feet,” she replied. 

Aang moved closer and together they helped Zuko stand upright and stay that way. The poor boy, thought Katara as she draped one of his arms around her neck. 

Aang got on Zuko’s other side. They moved slowly, shuffling down the path again. Katara had to look down to see where she was placing her feet, so she wouldn’t fall. Behind them, Suki and Sokka moved the attacker on a plateau that Toph could easily move forward.

“You can throw Zuko on here if you want,” Toph offered as they sailed past them. Katara shook her head.

“I think if we try to bring him back to the village that way, he’ll arrive in worse shape than he is now,” she said.

Toph shrugged. “Suit yourself. See you tomorrow!” And off they went.

Katara and Aang kept moving at their slow and steady pace. They didn’t talk, because there was nothing to say - Katara had to use all her energy to make sure she could keep Zuko upright and her feet from slipping away on the gravel. 

“Katara?”

“Yeah?” she said. She noticed how tired she sounded.

“I felt so useless just now,” Aang said. “You and Suki and Toph were much quicker.”

“Well, we don’t shun a fight when it’s necessary,” Katara replied decidedly. 

Aang sputtered. “I wasn’t going to either! But I couldn’t do anything. I tried to help Toph, but then you took over and -”

“Aang, what are you trying to say? Are you apologizing for not helping us out, or do you want me to tell you everything is okay? What is it?" 

He stopped talking. She was fed up with Aang always coming to her for validation. Her muscles ached, her clothes were dirty, she needed a bath and a nap and some soup. She needed everyone to leave her alone. 

"Would you do the same thing for me that you just did for Zuko?”

Katara counted to ten before she answered.

“Of course, Aang. You’re my friend, just like Zuko. Besides, we’ve saved each other’s lives so many times before. I didn’t think you’d forget about that.”

“I haven’t forgotten.” Aang paused. “I just… I just wanted to make sure.”

“Well, you can be sure of it,” she said. Her feet ran out under her and for a split second, her heart stopped beating. Aang noticed and used his airbending to give her a push in the right direction. Zuko groaned, still not fully conscious.

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

They had almost reached the village now. Katara could smell the scent of roasted hare and rich stock. She was _so_ hungry. 

“Katara?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you want to come travel with me when we leave?”

She bit her lip.

“I’ll think about it." 

Zuko groaned again. Katara pressed her palm against his cheek. 

"Zuko? Hold on, we’re almost there.”

They were back in the village. Suki came running towards them with water and towels. She took over Katara’s place and together with Aang, brought Zuko to a cot. Katara sat next to him and ushered everyone else out of the way.

Zuko opened his eyes briefly and closed them again. “My head hurts,” he mumbled.

Katara covered her hands in water again and pressed the tips of her fingers against his temples.

“You’ll be okay,” she said. “Just… don’t move.”

Zuko tried to laugh, but choked on a cough instead. “I couldn’t move even if I wanted to,” he got out between coughs.

“Do you know who it was, the attacker?” Katara asked. Zuko seemed okay, a concussion maybe. Nothing she couldn’t fix.

“No, I don’t think so. I couldn’t see him, he attacked me from behind.”

“Coward,” Katara scoffed.

“You saved my life again,” Zuko whispered. She could barely hear him.

“No, it was definitely a team effort,” she corrected him. “We’re all looking out for you, you know.”

He tried to smile, but pain contorted his face into a grimace instead.

“That’s nice to know,” he groaned. “Maybe you can all stick around in case someone else tries to kill me.”

An idea formed in her head.

“Yeah…” she said, as she let one hand rest on each side of Zuko’s face. “Maybe we can.”


	5. Day five: Southern water tribe culture

At least now Zuko knew that when Katara couldn’t sleep at night, she’d be in the library.

“You’re here again?” he said, not unkind.

“I don’t understand how you’re even able to see anything like this.” Zuko grabbed a candle from one of the shelves and lit it for her.

“Thanks, Zuko.” Without looking up from the scroll, she reached upwards, grabbing hold of his arm with her hand. She held onto him, he didn’t move.

“Don’t go yet,” she said softly. He put his own hand on top of hers.

“I’m not going anywhere, promise.”

Katara made room for him on the bench she was sitting on.

“What are you looking at, anyway?”

Katara tapped her nail on the parchment. The ink was faded, and even with the candlelight, Zuko could barely make out the words.

“It’s the aurora,” she said, breathless. “That’s what they’re looking after.”

“What’s the aurora?” Zuko frowned. He was ashamed to admit that he never knew that much about Water Tribe Culture.

“You know, as Fire Lord, you really should study up more on the world you’re living in,” Katara quipped. She pinched his arm lightly.

“Ouch! Hey, cut it out,” he said laughing.

“You deserved it. Anyway, the aurora is the polar lights. The fabric between our world and the spirit world is very thin in those places. The aurora exists both on the North and the South pole, and both tribes have rituals around it. They’re different, though.”

“Different how?”

Katara sighed. “That’s what I’m trying to understand from the texts. There weren’t many people around to teach me the ancient rituals, with the war and all.”

Zuko flinched. He still felt uncomfortable whenever Katara brought up the war. Sometimes it felt like this great divide between them, even though they buried their hatchet ages ago. And Zuko knew she wasn’t holding anything against him anymore. But he also knew it was a hidden wound she’d probably never completely heal from.

“So, what did you figure out?” he said instead.

“Well, we know they’re specifically interested in the South Pole, right?”

Zuko nodded. The last time they went to the Ozai Society to spy on them, Katara overheard that tidbit of information.

“These texts mention that the Southern ritual is performed every lunar eclipse. That makes me think bending is involved,” Katara continued. She moved her face closer to the ink.

“If only I could read what they’re actually _doing_ …” she whispered.

Zuko leaned back and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“Do you know how the aurora is created?” he asked carefully, afraid to sound dumb.

“I think it’s some sort of spiritual doing,” she mused. “Personally, I’ve seen it a couple of times, but it’s definitely not always visible. Come to think of it, the last time I saw it was probably during the last lunar eclipse.”

Zuko tried to connect the dots in his head. The aurora was something spiritual. It was located at the places where the connection between the spirit world and their world was especially strong. The Southern ritual was different from the Northern ritual. The ritual was performed every lunar eclipse.

He groaned. “We need Aang.”

“We do,” she agreed. “But he’s not here. And I don’t think he’ll want to be here when he finds out about us.”

“You don’t think he’ll be able to look past that?” Zuko wondered if he should be afraid of Aang. He didn’t like the idea of them having to fight, now that he’d grown so much stronger and improved his bending so much.

“I don’t know,” Katara said, still studying the scroll. “Maybe the Guru was able to beat some sense into him.” She looked up. “But even if he’s upset, he’ll get over it. Friendship is more important than his crush.”

“And what if he doesn’t get over it?” Zuko swallowed hard. He wasn’t going to admit to Katara that he was afraid, but he was a _little_ afraid _._

Katara smiled, but it wasn’t a happy smile.

“I’m not going to let anyone else tell me how to live my life. Not even him.”

Zuko suddenly felt the urge to put his arms around her.

“Maybe you should come back tomorrow. You’ve been here all night,” he offered.

“Yeah… maybe.” She didn’t sound convinced.

“Well, I’m not going until you go, so if you’re staying, I’m staying too,” he said.

Suddenly, Katara leapt forward.

“I got it!” She put her hands flat on the table.

“What? What do you get?”

“Look. Over here. I kept reading this as “spirit port”. I was thinking of a harbor or something. But it actually says “portal”. The ritual opens the spirit portal.“

Her voice died out.

“What?” The suspense was killing him.

“I… I don’t know,” she mumbled. Frantically, she started moving the other scrolls on her desk around. Zuko watched it with a growing feeling of horror.

“Something’s wrong, isn’t it?” he said.

“Hold on.” Katara plucked one of the scrolls from the stack and rolled it out. More pictures, more symbols. Zuko made a mental note to start learning the ancient languages as soon as possible.

“Here it is. I thought I remembered that phrase from somewhere. These are the water bending moves to perform the ritual.”

Katara went through the motions with her hands, muttering something inaudible. Zuko scanned the page, but couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary. They just looked like waterbending moves.

She stopped moving.

“Oh, this is bad. This is really, really bad.”

Zuko didn’t dare to ask what was going on anymore.

Katara looked at him.

“If I’m understanding the scrolls correctly, and I am, then this ritual is performed in order to open the spirit portal. Then, if the spirits are willing, a temporary union is formed between a chosen person and the spirit. The union gives special abilities.”

“Okay,” Zuko said. “I still don’t understand how that’s bad.”

Katara pointed at the other scroll again. “This is what’s bad. In these texts, it’s explained that someone found a way to ensure the union is irreversible.”

“Who?”

“The first Avatar.”

“Okay, so?”

“So,” Katara said impatiently, “If someone would try to do that again, they might be able to become a second Avatar. The first Avatar bonded with Raava, the spirit of light and peace. Their counterpart is Vaatu, the spirit of chaos and darkness. Do you see where this is going?”

Zuko kept quiet, because he didn’t want to say what he was thinking of.

“They’re going to try to unite Ozai with Vaatu.”


	6. Day six: Power couple

The more time she spent with Zuko, the more Katara got used to getting up early.

At dawn, she climbed out of her bed and slipped into a comfortable jacket. She tried to make as little noise as possible when she walked down the stairs.

In the kitchen, the sun had already found its way inside. She noticed the empty cup carefully placed on the edge of the counter, as well as the steaming hot kettle beside it. With a slight smile on her face, she made herself some tea.

As soon as Katara stepped out into the front of the tea shop, she saw a tall, slender figure in the doorframe on the other end. Quietly, she moved towards him, sipping from her tea. He got better every week, she thought. Uncle must’ve started teaching him again.

“Good morning,” she said when she stood right behind him. He turned around.

“Good morning.”

In this early morning light, Zuko’s eyes were brighter. His hair was softer. His scar looked more tender, as did his smile.

Katara wrapped her hands around her cup and smiled.

Together, the watched the sunrise, while talking softly about the day ahead. Both of them knew there was much to do - there was always so much to do.

“So, I was thinking,” Zuko said, and his cheeks turned a little pink.

“That’s a dangerous hobby,” Katara said jokingly.

“Maybe we could…” he paused. He scratched the back of his head, ruffled his hair. Katara looked at him and chuckled.

“You’re nervous,” she said. “What’s the matter?”

“I just thought… I know you wanted to take things slow. And I appreciate that. I understand that all of this…” he gestured vaguely, “…is very weird and very new. I mean, even I have no idea how to behave.”

He swallowed. Katara took another sip of her tea, watching him intently over the edge of her cup.

“I just know that I really like spending time with you. With you, I always feel like a better person. And I care about you. If it were up to me you’d never leave again. I mean, not that I’d ever tell you what to do, you’re your own person and…”

Katara said nothing, but she couldn’t hide her smile.

“… The thing is, I just thought that maybe, if you want to… We could… Be together. Really together.”

She looked away from him and into the sun, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She felt the warmth on her face, smelled the scent of wild roses and spring.

She opened her eyes again and looked at a now full-on blushing Zuko.

“I don’t think anything would make me happier,” she said.

“Bravo, young lady.”

Both of them turned around as if stung by a wasp. Behind them stood Iroh, dusting off the tables in preparation for the first customers of the day.

“Uncle,” Zuko said with an exasperated tone.

“Good morning, general Iroh,” Katara said and smiled.

“Please, my dear, it’s been a very long time since I was last a general,” Iroh said. He held her hand and patted it lightly.

“You are always welcome here,” he said. “As is my nephew. If you need a break from… well, everything.”

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose.

Katara put down her cup and walked over to him. Lightly, she put her hand on his arm.

“We’re in this together now,” she whispered.

He looked at her as if it was the first time he laid eyes on her.

“I… I’m really bad at showing how happy I am,” he stammered.

She laughed.

“You’re doing just fine. Now let’s get dressed, we have a long day ahead.”


	7. Day seven: Soulmates

“Remember you told me about your scar?”

It was summer. They were spending their day on Ember Island. For both, it felt like forever since they were here last.

It had been Katara’s idea.

“You look tired,” she had said when Zuko had returned from a long day of meetings.

“I am tired,” he had answered. “I can’t remember the last time I didn’t feel tired.”

No one but Suki knew about their nightly adventures. They were sure someone in the palace was giving information about Zuko’s whereabouts to the assassins, and they had more and more trouble to gather information about their next moves.

Katara divided her time between the South Pole, the palace and the rebuilding of the Zone, as they called it. The no man’s land where the former Fire Nation colonies were needed a lot of attention, and Katara was pouring her heart and soul in the project. In the South Pole, she had started a waterbending academy, her heart set on restoring the Southern Water Bending style to its former glory. She was still the only teacher, but she was enthusiastic about the progress of her pupils.

When she was in the Fire Nation, she was either studying in the library, trying out advanced bending moves or learning more about the history of her culture, or overseeing the construction of the embassy and all that went with it. The Northern Water Tribe, when they had heard of Hakoda and Zuko’s deal, had wanted to send an ambassador of their own. But Zuko had sent out a letter, essentially saying that although they were very much welcome to negotiate trade agreements, Katara would be the only Water Tribe diplomat with a station in the Fire Nation.

And so they saw little of each other. Zuko had all his official engagements, of course. And when Katara wasn’t around, he worked with Suki on gathering information about the Ozai Society. Toph and Mai sometimes reported in from the Earth Kingdom, where they had set up a whole underground network of spies. Zuko didn’t have a hard time imaging either Mai or Toph as the leader of such a group. He only wondered how they managed to refrain from killing each other.

And so, when Katara had returned from another three months at the Southern Water Tribe, she thought it high time for them to spend some time together.

“Of course I remember,” Zuko said now, watching Katara use her bending to create intricate water sculptures. They were sitting on the dock, legs hanging over the edge.

It was right after he and Katara had left Yon Rha behind in the rain. Katara, having used all the energy in her body to fight this emotional battle, didn’t feel like going back to the group yet. Zuko, who didn’t want to interfere in any way, had offered to go to Ember Island to cool down a bit, perhaps even take a nap and eat something.

At first, Katara had been sceptical, but Zuko assured her it was safe.

“No one has been there in forever,” he said, conveniently leaving out the visit he had paid to the island a couple weeks earlier, with Azula and Mai and Ty Lee.

They had been sitting just like they did now, at the very edge of the dock. It was raining then, but neither of them seemed to notice.

Zuko didn’t want to talk about it. This trip wasn’t about him, and he didn’t want to add to Katara’s mental burden. But she had insisted, and he had remembered how fearless she was when she used her bending to make that man move, on the ship.

So her told her. Very succinctly, very sparse details. The meeting, the talking out of turn, the Agni Kai, the banishment. She had listened without saying a word, and when he stopped talking, it also stopped raining and he had offered to get the rest of the group to use this as a new hideout. She had just nodded, and he left her there, on the pier, all alone with her thoughts and feelings. At the time, he didn’t know how she felt about him, and he didn’t dare to ask.

Now, everything was so different.

“Do you want to know what I realized when you left?” Katara asked.

“Sure.”

“It was as if with the rain, all my anger also washed away. I remember sitting here, by myself, thinking about how much I hated you before and how much I couldn’t hate you anymore. How tired I was of always being strong for everyone else, of hiding my feelings because no one asked for them.

For me, you were the face of the enemy. I think I said that to you when we were in the caves under Ba Sing Se. I thought about that, too.”

Katara added some ice cubes to the drink in her glass.

“I thought about how you betrayed us, then. It felt as if what happened to my mother, happened all over again. But that wasn’t true. And I only realized it because of what you told me about your scar. I could finally see why you were so conflicted, and why you made that decision, then. I think I forgave you because I recognized so much of my own pain in yours.”

Zuko caught here eye and smiled. She returned his smile, briefly putting her hand on top of his.

“Do you want to know what I realize now?” She continued.

“Of course.”

“Over the past year, we’ve spent so much time together. We know each other so much better than we did back then. But one thing never changed after that day: once I forgave you, I knew that I would always be able to trust you. You wouldn’t betray me anymore. Wouldn’t betray us anymore. And I’ve never doubted that feeling.”

“I’m flattered.”

“I used to think you and I were so different. But now I know we’re actually so similar.”

“We’re both quite stubborn, yes,” he said dryly.

Katara laughed.

“Not just that! But yes, also that.”

They let a comfortable silence come over them. In the distance, a dolphin rose up from the water.

“Do you believe in soulmates?” Katara asked as she kept staring out over the ocean.

Zuko closed his eyes for a second.

“I don’t know. Maybe. I mean, do you?”

He opened his eyes to look at her. Her chestnut hair was loose. Her dark skin was covered in drops of ocean water, and he could make out some specks of salt on her shoulder. He moved to wipe them off, then let his hand rest there.

“I think so, yeah.” She put a lock of hair behind her ear.

“I think if it would be anyone, it’s you,” Zuko said. He forced himself to look at her when he said it.

She returned his gaze. “I feel the same way,” she said.

Zuko noticed how close their faces were and even though he had kissed her before, he didn’t dare to do it now. Luckily, Katara wasn’t so shy.

When they let go of each other, Katara put her head in his lap. He leaned back, trying to take everything in at once.

“I haven’t met anyone else who makes me feel this way,” he heard himself saying. “It’s as if you can read my mind sometimes.”

“I wish I could do that,” she said. “Maybe I’ll finally be able to understand what you think is so great about getting up at six in the morning.”

“You’ll never understand if you stay up until four at night,” he retorted, and they both laughed.

“We should come here more often,” she said.

“As long as my father’s henchmen don’t find us here,” he said with a somber look on his face.

Katara got up and looked at him.

“We’ll get them. Toph told me she and Mai are making a lot of progress. Soon enough, we’ll find out what their plan is and stop them.”

“Their plan is to kill me and take back the Fire Nation, obviously,” Zuko said irritated.

“We’re not going to let that happen. You know what, let’s practice our bending. Right here, right now.”

“What, now? But we’re not even dressed!”

“You may very well not be dressed when they come to kill you,” Katara said. She created a huge wave and splashed it over him, soaking him wet.

He jumped up. “Oh, it’s on now,” he said while wiping his dripping hair out of his face.

Katara grinned.

“You bet it is.”


	8. Day eight: Agni Kai

“Hello, brother.”

Zuko instinctively stepped backwards. Just a little bit, but enough for her to see.

Azula cackled.

“What, afraid even your almighty guards can’t protect you?”

He grimaced. 

“Can you just be quiet for second? I came to ask you something.”

“And why do you think I’d answer you? Last time I checked, you and that filthy water tribe peasant locked me up in here.” Azula pointed her finger at Zuko. Without warning, she sent a jolt of electricity into the metal bars before her cell. 

“It’s the third time she has done that this morning, Sir,” the guard next to him said. “I don’t want to tell you what to do, but I’d be very careful if I were you.”

Zuko was actually sort of happy to see that his sister had regained some composure. The last time he saw her, it was right after their Agni Kai and she’d been chained to the ground, unhinged, crying. It was a painful memory.

“Well, Zuzu, aren’t you going to ask me your question?”

He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. Azula always knew how to get under his skin. It infuriated him.

“Zuko! What are you doing?”

Katara rushed in. She took one look at Azula and frowned. 

“I don’t know what games you think you’re playing,” she told the former Fire Princess, “But Zuko is not falling for them. And neither am I.”

Azula curled her mouth into an unpleasant smile.

“Well well, look at that. The water tribe peasant is still around. Are you keeping pets now, Zuzu?” She threw her head back in laughter.

Zuko clenched his fists. “That’s enough, Azula!” He blasted fire into her cell, with just enough control not to let it burn her directly.

She didn’t move, she just kept laughing. Zuko started to wonder whether Azula was still mad. She probably was. Just a different kind of mad.

Katara stood next to him, looking at him, then at Azula, then at him again, not saying a word.

He cleared his throat.

“I need your help.”

His voice sounded more shaky than he wished. But it had the desired effect. Azula went quiet, and she moved towards him, eyes glimmering with anticipation.

“Do you, brother? Are you afraid of the dark? Are the palace walls closing in on you? I know they did for me, right before my coronation. The coronation that _you stole from me!“_

Her face was way too close. Zuko realized he made a big mistake coming here. Azula would never help them. They’d have to figure out another way to defeat Ozai, once and for all. Even after all that happened to her, Azula still wanted nothing but revenge. 

He turned around and immediately wished he hadn’t done that. The room crackled with electricity. Time seemed to slow down. He wanted to shield himself from what he knew was coming, but he was too slow. From the corner of his eye, he saw the blue jolt inching closer. _So this is how it ends,_ he thought. Rather different from what he expected.

But he hadn’t counted on Katara. 

"No!” she shouted, and smacked her body against his. They crashed to the floor, landing hard on the stones. Merely an inch above their heads, the lightning got absorbed by the wall.

Before he knew it, Katara was back on her feet again. She ran towards Azula, her face distorted by rage.

“YOU! You ever try anything like that again and I’ll personally see to your tortuous, painful death. And I promise you, it will be even worse than you can imagine.”

Azula just grinned.

“You’re brave, but also misguided. You’ll never stand a chance against me. But I’m sure brother wouldn’t let you defend his honor on his behalf. He’s too proud for that, aren’t you Zuzu?”

“Katara, let’s just go,” Zuko muttered. His guards had helped him up and he was now standing at a safe distance from Azula’s cell. When they got out here, he would make sure Azula was transferred somewhere else. Somewhere secret. She might be deranged, but she was obviously still dangerous. And he couldn’t risk the assassins trying to set her free, too.

But Katara had her hands on her hips and wasn’t moving an inch.

“Zuko, you go. I’m not done with her yet.” She furrowed her brow so deep Zuko almost couldn’t see her eyes anymore.

“Yes, Zuko, you heard the girl. Go.” Azula waved her hand dismissively. “I’m sure we’ll become great friends when you leave." 

Again, that smile. That conniving smile that hid treacherous secrets and devilish plans.

He knew how this was going to end. And he didn’t risk his life to save Katara back then, only to send her to her death now. So he did something he didn’t dare to do before. He grabbed hold of Katara’s arm and pulled - hard. He dragged her back into the sunlight under loud protest.

"What do you think you’re doing!” she said as soon as they were outside again. Brusquely, she freed herself from his grasp. They stood across each other, both breathing heavily, staring in each other’s eyes like wild animals.

“Azula just isn’t worth it. She has always been like this. She’ll always be like this. Don’t let her get under your skin like that,” he retorted.

“You had no right!”

“Well, maybe I’d rather not see you die such a pointless death! Did you think about that?” He tried to match her loud voice with his own. People turned around to watch, but he didn’t care.

“As if you jumping in front of that lightning for me wasn’t pointless! It could have killed you!” Katara really was mad, now, and he wasn’t sure whether she was angry at him or at someone else.

“Well if I hadn’t done that, you would be killed, so at least be glad now you have the opportunity to get yourself into some other dangerous situation and get killed that way!”

“If you would have died back then, we would have lost the war! Did you ever stop to think about that?”

“As if I had time to think about that! I just didn’t want _you_ to die, Katara. I wasn’t going to let my sister hurt anyone else. It had to be me. It _always_ had to be me. And if that meant I had to die, then that was my destiny.”

“Argh! You’re insufferable! Let me tell you something, Zuko. You can stop playing the hero on my behalf. I don’t need protection, and certainly not from you. So just leave me alone from now on.”

With that, Katara turned around on her heels and stormed off. 

Zuko exhaled deeply. His guards tried to disperse the crowd that had stopped to watch their heated exchange. He rested his hands on his knees. It felt as if he had just fought another Agni Kai.

“Are you okay, my Lord?”

He closed his eyes.

“I’m doing fine. Make sure you don’t get in Katara’s way. If she wants to leave, that’s her decision.”

“Understood, my Lord.”

He was going to have to think about this for a long, hard time. 


	9. Day nine: Partners in crime

“Are you sure this is it?”

They were standing on the corner of one of the busiest streets of the Fire Nation capital. Even at this hour, there were still people out and about, drinking, laughing, talking. The end of the war had changed the Fire Nation already. People allowed themselves to have fun again.

They were both wearing their disguises. Katara knew no one would probably recognize her, but Zuko was an entirely different story. People already knew him, they knew their Fire Lord had a huge scar on his face. The Blue Spirit mask would cover it, but she could only hope no one would ask him about it.

Zuko nodded.

“The information I got was very specific. They’re having a meeting tonight, and the leader is going to unfold their master plan.”

“Do we know who the leader is?” Katara frowned. She didn’t like having to deal with unknown enemies. It made it impossible to gauge their strengths and weaknesses. Katara preferred to be prepared.

But Zuko shrugged. “My source couldn’t tell me. Perhaps we can find out tonight.”

Right that moment, they noticed someone knocking on the door. This was their chance. If they were distracted, Zuko and Katara could make their way inside.

Not for the first time, Katara was impressed with Zuko’s talent for breaking and entering. With apparent ease, he found the fastest route to the roof, spotted an air vent that Katara definitely would have missed, and managed to pry the vent open with one of his swords.

The vent was small. Zuko nearly didn’t fit in, Katara had a little more breathing room but not much. The supply of fresh oxygen was a plus. It also gave them the opportunity to listen into the conversations before they were even near the main room.

“…and so, my brothers and sisters, I’m happy to see all your faces again. Since the last time we met, many things have been set in motion.”

Katara could hear her blood rush in her ears. Carefully, she pulled back the hood of her jacket in order to hear better. Zuko, in front of her, pulled back his mask. She could see little drops of sweat on his forehead.

They knew they were in the right spot because light emerged from the bottom of the vent. There was really no space for them to lie next to each other, so Zuko had to lie flat on his belly so Katara could climb on top of him. That way, she wouldn’t have to look at his boots while he was watching the meeting.

Being so close to him, she had her face pressed against his mask. She could smell the scent of his hair - a little bit like fresh laundry - and of his clothes - like burnt wood, but in a good way. Katara thought it was a little gross, but she had to admit to herself that his sweat actually smelled kind of _nice._

She had no place to put her hands, so she ended up just resting her arms on his shoulders. Her mouth was next to his ear.

“Just let me know when it starts to hurt,” she whispered.

“It won’t,” she thought she heard him say, but he was barely audible to her.

They focused on the scene below them instead.

The man who was talking was clearly the leader. He was just out of sight, so they couldn’t get a look of his face. Katara closed her eyes and tried to imprint the sound of his voice into her memory.

“– Ozai has fallen, but he can be resurrected again. We know the Avatar took his bending away,” - some muffled noise came from the room. Katara guessed there were about seven people she could see from her point of view.

“We are currently studying whether there’s a way for us to undo that. No one knew the Avatar possessed this kind of power, but what can be done can most likely be undone. After all, that would be balance. And the Avatar is all about balance.”

The man’s voice moved, so Katara guessed he was walking around the room. Next, she could hear the sound of a scroll being opened. Too bad neither of them could see a thing, she thought.

“Our investigations so far have lead us to this important artefact. Before us tonight, we see the seven wonders of the world. According to one of our informants, one of these holds the secret to undoing the Avatar’s work. In the coming months, we’ll have to figure out which one it is. If you look around you, you will notice I’ve asked seven of you here tonight. There’s an obvious reason for that.”

The voice waited, as if he wanted one of the attendants to fill in the blanks. When nothing came, Katara heard a sigh.

“Each one of you will be sent out to one of the world wonders and find out what their secret is. When you have to use force, you have my permission to use it. When you find out, let us know as soon as possible. We’ll not be staying here, in order to avoid being captured. You will receive a secret address to which you can send your updates. Come back as soon as you have fulfilled your task.”

People started moving around. From what Katara could see, they were given maps and coin purses. Some were also given weapons, which Katara assumed were for the non-benders.

Suddenly, another voice.

“What are we going to do about Zuko?”

It stung Katara that they didn’t even have enough respect for him to call him by his title.

“Since our first attempt to attack him on Kyoshi Island, he has called in the help of the Kyoshi warriors. We have some sources who keep us in the loop about his whereabouts, but the warriors never leave his side. Then there’s the matter of the Water Tribe girl…”

Katara perked up. In doing so, she nearly bumped her head against the top of the vent while simultaneously elbowing Zuko in the shoulder. Her eyes widened and she hastily lied down again, whispering an apology in Zuko’s ear.

The people in the room luckily hadn’t noticed the commotion above their heads.

“She’s a personal friend of the Avatar and of Zuko as well. It’s unclear what she’s doing here and how long she’ll be staying, but we know she’s dangerous. She was the one who captured princess Azula and imprisoned her.”

“Will we be freeing the princess as well?”

“It’s not our first priority, I have to be honest. Of course, once we have secured the return of Fire Lord Ozai, Princess Azula will be released from prison immediately. But we need to focus on the Fire Lord first.”

The meeting appeared to be over. The people in the room started to chatter among themselves, and Katara decided she had had enough. Carefully, she manoeuvred herself back into the vent. They had to crawl backwards for this portion, which was uncomfortable, but they managed.

Finally, Katara was able to breathe freely.

“They’re out of their minds,” was the first thing she said when they were safely outside the vent. Standing in the moonlight, they sat down on the rooftop. Neither of them assumed anyone would come look for them here.

“We’re going to have to stop them,” Zuko said as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “If only I knew how.”

“We could travel to the Seven World Wonders and try to beat them at their own game,” Katara offered.

“Usually I’m all for impossible plans, but there’s only two of us and seven of them,” Zuko pointed out. “Besides, I can’t be away from the palace for that long. Remember, Mai wasn’t happy I left her behind for two entire months when I traveled to the South Pole with all of you.”

“Pfff.” Katara rolled her eyes. But Zuko had a point. There was no way they could be at seven places at once. Especially when they had no easy way to get around.

“We need to get the Gang together,” she said. She counted on her fingers. “Suki, Toph, Aang, Sokka, You, me… That’s six. We’re one person short.”

“We could ask Mai?” said Zuko.

“We could….” Katara wasn’t too keen on the idea. She still didn’t really trust Mai.

“She’s dying for something to do,” said Zuko. “Mai hates palace life.”

“That’s something we have in common,” Katara said.

Down in the patio, they could hear the sound of people saying their goodbyes. Zuko got up and pulled his mask in front of his face again. With his right hand, he grabbed the hilts of his swords.

“Come on, let’s go,” he said softly. “We’ll figure this out when we get back.”

Without making a sound, the Fire Lord and the Waterbender left the scene.


	10. Day ten: Fake dating

With all the intrigue and spying going on, you’d almost forget that there were also still fun things to do. Although, Zuko thought, he wouldn’t exactly call this activity _fun._

He had tried to let his birthday go by without drawing any attention to it. But of course, his Uncle would have none of it. He wanted to throw a celebration, because how often does a Fire Lord turn eighteen?

So Iroh had sent out invitations, ushered palace servants around, ordered cake and flowers and sparkling wine. The best benders from every nation would be performing, and Uncle wouldn’t be Uncle if he hadn’t invited a drove of young women who would be more than happy to date the Fire Lord.

Zuko wasn’t in the mood for dating. He and Mai had only broken up a couple of weeks ago and even he was surprised by how somber it had made him. She had left the Fire Nation, so there wasn’t any chance of running into her, but he still missed her gloomy presence and sarcastic comments on everything he said and did. He almost wished she’d come back, just to roast him and tell him how boring the party was.

A knock on the door.

“Come in,” Zuko said, finding some papers to hold and pretend he was busy.

“Oh, I can come back another time if you-”

“Katara!” He immediately put down the scrolls. “It can wait.”

He had absolutely no idea what they were even about to begin with.

“We just arrived,” she said. “Everyone’s here. Even Gran Gran decided to come!”

Katara was still wearing her travel clothes. Judging by her hair, they probably arrived on Appa, which meant that when she said everyone, she meant _everyone_.

Zuko groaned.

“That’s great. Now Uncle can embarrass me in front of everyone I know.”

“I’m sure it won’t be that bad. Besides, you should get out more. We all haven’t seen you in ages.”

She put a couple of steps forward and reached across the desk to give him a hug. She smelled like leather and sea salt.

He awkwardly put his arms around her. Katara was right, he had kind of locked himself in. Not that he didn’t want to leave - he wanted nothing more. But his responsibilities kept him where he was and there were still threat reports coming in. Traveling would mean exposing him to more risk, and Suki all but forbade it during their latest meeting.

“I’m going to change into something else and freshen up,” Katara said. “I’ll see you in a bit!”

She was almost out the door when she turned around.

“I heard about Mai, by the way,” she said solemnly. “Toph told me all about it. I’m sorry,”

He made a vague gesture.

“It was for the best, anyway. I need to do this, but I can’t drag her into it against her will.”

Katara raised her eyebrows.

“Of course. Come downstairs soon, everyone is dying to say hi.”

———-

Zuko slowly made his way down the stairs. His new robes were heavy, and warm, and itchy. He tried to loosen the cape a bit and almost tripped as a result.

“Zuko!”

His uncle waited for him at the bottom of the stairs, arms spread out wide.

“I’m glad you made it,” Iroh said jokingly. “The celebrations can’t start without the guest of honor!”

Zuko flinched upon hearing that word. To him, none of this had anything to do with honor. It was humiliation, nothing else.

Iroh gestured for the guards to open the double doors that led to the courtyard. Given the weather, Iroh had decided to hold the party outside.

When the doors opened, Zuko was blinded by bright lights. He heard hundreds of voices, chanting his name, singing songs. He smelled roasted beef and fireworks.

People grabbed his hands, pulled him forward, into the crowd. He was being slapped on the shoulder, praises were sung in his ear. The scent of perfume lingered near his left cheek, then his right. He tried to say something, but his voice was drowned out by all the other noises.

Finally, he saw familiar faces. Sokka barged through the crowd, smacking people with his boomerang left and right, holding a bag of fire flakes. He spotted Zuko and immediately ran in for a hug.

“I can’t believe it’s been so long!” he yelled in Zuko’s ear when he let go. His face was all smiles.

“Come on, Toph and everyone else are over here.”

Zuko followed him to one of the long tables that were placed near the edges of the courtyard. Of course, Toph was sitting, munching on all the food within reach. Suki, who had allowed herself a night off, was talking with Katara at the far end of the table. They were drinking mulled wine, a Fire Nation specialty.

Aang appeared in front of him. The boy was almost his height now, and they locked eyes for a brief second before Aang pulled him into a hug.

“You’ve grown!” was all Zuko managed to get out when Aang let him go.

The Avatar smiled. “My voice is deeper too!”

Zuko decided he was going to try to enjoy the evening. He grabbed himself some wine, shared fire flakes and roasted hare with Sokka and Toph and played some classic Fire Nation games with Aang. But before he could say hello to Katara and Suki, Iroh found him and whisked him away, chiding him for foregoing his duties as Fire Lord and host.

And so, instead of catching up with his friends, he had to spend the next forty minutes shaking hands with diplomats and their wives, making small talk with their daughters, rubbing up to Fire Nation noblemen and -women. The more faces Zuko saw, the less excited he became.

And the worst part was yet to come.

Iroh introduced him to a young lady. And another. And another. It didn’t take long to realize what his uncle was plotting, and Zuko didn’t like it one bit. Sure, they were all nice girls, pretty too, but he wasn’t in the mood. Making conversation with strangers was not his thing and he didn’t dance, so what was the point?

When he felt another hand on his arm, he turned around fully prepared to shoot fire at someone’s face.

“Oh my, you don’t look happy at all.”

Katara had a shocked expression on her face, which soon turned into a chuckle. Zuko just stood there, awkwardly, not knowing what to say to her.

“Do you need help?”

“Uhh… Maybe? If you know how to make Uncle stop forcing me to talk to all these girls all night.” Zuko heard someone shout his name and he tried to hide his face behind his cape.

“I think I know just the thing.” Katara, who was wearing a gold and blue dress, linked her arm in his.

“Now, let’s walk.”

They paraded forward. Katara instructed him not to look ahead, but make eye contact with her and lean in a bit, as if they were having an intense conversation. Every other minute, she would throw her head back and laugh.

It worked. Girls stopped approaching him, and Zuko could finally breathe again.

After another five minutes of walking and chatting, Katara dragged him to the center of the courtyard. There, a dance floor had been created.

“We have to dance,” she declared matter-of-factly.

Zuko let go of her arm. “We have to what? I don’t dance,” he stammered.

“That’s too bad. Because if you really want those girls to leave you alone, we have to dance,” she said, hands on her hips.

“So what will it be, Fire Lord? Dance or no dance?”

“Fine.” Zuko groaned. With a smile, Katara extended her hand and let Zuko grab it.

They entered the dance floor just when a new song began. The musicians were good, and Katara was nice for helping him, but Zuko knew this could only end in disaster. After all, he couldn’t hold rhythm even if someone was beating him with a stick.

“Just follow my lead,” Katara said. She guided him through the motions, while Zuko focused on not stepping on anyone’s toes. The more they moved, the hotter it became. Again, he tried to loosen his cape, but ended up stepping on it and falling right into Katara.

She stepped backwards to prevent them from falling over. Gently, she pushed him back on his feet again.

“Let me see that,” she said. She reached under his chin and with a flick of her thumb opened the clasp that held his cape together. It came off and fell to the floor.

“Give me the cape,” she said.

“Why?”

“To make other girls jealous.”

Zuko shrugged, picked up the cape from the floor and handed it to Katara. She put it around her shoulders and clasped it shut. It was a little too big for her and it dragged on the floor, but it actually suited her outfit.

“Are we done?” Zuko asked desperately.

“Almost. One more dance. A slow one this time.”

Katara moved in closer and wove her fingers through his. As elegantly as Zuko managed to be, they waltzed around. Katara kept making light conversation with him to distract him from the people looking at them.

“Thanks,” he said when they stepped off the platform, back into the crowds.

“You’re welcome.” Katara smiled. “I’ll be keeping this, if you don’t mind,” she said as she stroked the fabric of the cape.

“Not at all,” Zuko said, relieved not to be bothered by it anymore.

“You know, people _will_ talk about us,” she said. “They will wonder if we’re dating.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Zuko said. “We’re friends. Everyone knows that!”

She nodded. “But you wanted those girls to back off. So we had to pretend to be dating.”

“Oh.” Zuko had no idea what Mai would think when she’d hear about this.

“Don’t worry about it, Zuko,” Katara said. “They’ll forget about it, too. Gossip never lasts long. Besides, we’re leaving tomorrow.”

“Already?”

“Aang has heard rumors of Air Nomad sightings in the Earth Kingdom mountains. We’re going there first thing tomorrow morning.”

“I guess that makes sense.”

Zuko didn’t know where to look. How should he say goodbye after all this?

Katara provided the answer. She stepped forward again and hugged him tight.

“It was great to see you again, Zuko.”

“It was good to see you again, too, Katara.”


	11. Day eleven: Dragon

“What do you mean, it’s mine?”

“That’s what it says on the note,” Katara said. “It’s from the Masters.”

Zuko froze in place.

“The Masters… That’s Ran and Shaw.”

He looked suspiciously at the bundle of fabric in front of him. Zuko could swear he saw it moving a second ago.

And now it moved again.

The waterbender and the Fire Lord assumed a defensive stance. They held their breath, waiting for what was about to happen.

Zuko thought he could hear something _snoring_.

Katara inched closer and slowly pulled away a bit of the fabric. A tiny, sleeping dragon appeared. It had curled itself up, exhaling puffs of smoke.

“It’s so cute!” Katara squealed.

Zuko moved closer as well. The dragon woke up, blinking against the light. It noticed Zuko and, without hesitation, got up and twisted its slender body around his arm.

“Ouch, his claws are sharp,” Zuko remarked with wonder. He could still barely believe this was actually happening.

“He’s beautiful,” Katara said while she stood next to him to admire the dragon. She reached out her hand to let the creature smell her.

“I don’t know if it works like that,” Zuko started to say, but before he could finish his sentence the dragon slid from his arm and onto Katara’s. He decided to settle on her shoulder, looking utterly content.

“Hey! You were my present!”

Katara chuckled. “I guess he likes me better. What are you going to name him?”

Zuko frowned. “I don’t know. Would it matter? Do dragons listen to their name?”

At the same time, the dragon opened its mouth and roared. Both Katara and Zuko pressed their hands against their ears. The noise was absolutely deafening.

“I know what I’ll name him,” Zuko said when the room fell silent again.

“Yeah? What’s that?”

“Druk. It means Thunder Dragon.”

Katara nodded as she carefully placed the creature back in Zuko’s hands. Druk curled himself up and went back to sleep.

“He’s magical,” she whispered.

“Yeah,” Zuko said. “I wonder why the Masters thought I deserved to have a dragon.”

“Probably to teach you responsibilities,” said Katara teasingly.

“Hey, I’m very responsible!” Zuko protested.

“Right. You never do anything stupid, or reckless, and you never run headfirst into things,” said Katara.

“I think you’re talking about yourself now,” Zuko retorted.

“In any case, Druk needs a bed, and food, and someone to take care of him,” Katara said. “How are you going to do that?”

Zuko shrugged.

“I’ll figure it out. I always figure it out. How hard can it be?”

Druk sneezed in his sleep and set Zuko’s robes on fire. Katara laughed as Zuko cursed.

“Don’t just stand there! Put it out!”

Effortlessly and without looking, Katara dumped the contents of her flask on Zuko. Within seconds, a puddle formed beneath his feet. Druk, who also got wet, hissed and revealed a daunting set of teeth.

“At least you two have matching tempers,” said Katara.

“At least Druk doesn’t have to deal with a girlfriend who can’t aim!”

“You’re right,” Katara said with a sweet voice. “I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing. Perhaps you should show me how it’s done?”

Zuko placed Druk on his seat and jumped into a fighting stance.

“I know you’re making fun of me,” he warned her.

“And yet here we are,” she replied, using her hands to shake her hair our of her face.

“Who said I didn’t like it?” Zuko shot first, aiming his fire at her feet. Katara easily doused the flames.

“I know you can do better!” She raised her arms, and Zuko heard the rumble of an incoming wave. The next moment, a gulf of water hit him in the face.

He struck back immediately with several short blasts of fire. They circled around each other, testing each other. They knew they were equally matched, which was exactly what made these sparring sessions to exciting.

That was, until Druk decided to come to Zuko’s aid.

Katara was about to send another wave crashing into Zuko when Druk suddenly positioned himself between them. He opened his mouth and a huge cone of multicolored dragon fire appeared, completely dissolving Katara’s wave.

Flabbergasted, Zuko and Katara stopped.

Zuko was the first to move. He ran towards Druk, picked him up and placed him on his shoulder.

“Wow, he’s so powerful already,” Katara said, sounding impressed.

“I didn’t even know he could do that,” Zuko replied. “I guess we’ll have to be careful around him.”

“Yeah, you will have to be careful,” Katara said and stuck her elbow between his ribs. “I, on the other hand, found a new sparring partner.”


	12. Day twelve: Balance

“I didn’t know it snowed down here,” she said.

They had started walking in the midst of the night, with the idea of watching the sunset at the top of the highest peak of the caldera. Katara had brought her jacket, but it was much chillier than she expected.

“Yeah, it does sometimes. Usually it doesn’t get down into the valley, though.”

It was almost morning now. The sky had already turned grey, and she could feel the pull from the moon slowly fading away. Soon, the sun would take over. Zuko’s element. She glanced at him, walking in front of her, guiding the way. He was carrying a walking stick that he used to point out interesting tidbits along the way.

They had come out of the forest about half an hour ago and Katara was pleased with the view. From here, she could see the entire capital, as well as the lake and the villages more downstream. If she tried very hard, she thought she might even be able to see the shore.

“We’re almost there,” Zuko said, and he pointed his stick towards the top of the mountain. He was right. Katara judged the distance between them and the peak to be roughly another then minutes.

“Just in time for the sunrise,” she said cheerfully.

As soon as they sat down, Katara spotted the first rays of sunshine making their way into the sky. They were like paint brushes, coloring streaks of pink into the clouds.

She pressed her chin to her knees and took a deep breath. As she felt the last drops of enhanced attunement disappear from her heart, she heard Zuko exhale sharply.

“You feel it too?” she asked, but she knew the answer.

He nodded and closed his eyes. It had become a sort of ritual between them, to be fully present the moment their elements were awoken, or put to sleep. And because theirs were opposite, they balanced each other out.

“You rise with the sun, I rise with the moon,” Katara whispered to herself as she wove her fingers through her hair.

Before, she hadn’t really noticed the waning and waxing of the moon’s spirit within herself. She had felt the surge of power when the moon was full, and the thrilling energy during the lunar eclipse in the North Pole, but she wasn’t paying attention to the more subtle motions that she went through, day in day out.

Likewise, Zuko, who never possessed a talent for introspection and reflection, had felt quite overwhelmed by the way Sozin’s comet had set his inner fire ablaze. He had talked to Katara about it, and they both discussed their thoughts with Iroh, who taught them some meditations they could use to tune in to the spirits a bit more. They had practiced them together, twice a day, dawn and dusk. It had brought them together in a way nothing else had.

As far as Katara knew, theirs were the only elements that even experienced these ebs and flows of power. She wondered what it meant. She wondered whether “opposite elements” was really the right term, as she had wondered more often these past few weeks.

“What are you thinking about?”

Zuko’s voice was raspy and hoarse. The thin air made it harder to breathe, harder to speak.

“I was just…” she paused, unsure about which part of her musings to share with him.

“I was thinking about all of this,” she decided on. She gestured at the sun, now already halfway out of the ocean, still bright orange in color.

Zuko pressed his palms together to create a small flame between his hands.

“You mean the sunrise? Or the meditation? Or what?”

“All of it,” she replied. “The way our elements are seen as opposites, how you gain power when I lose it, and the other way around.”

“It’s all about balance, isn’t it?” Zuko caught her eye. “About not letting one element become all powerful, all the time.”

“But I don’t think the airbenders and earthbenders have something similar,” she said. “At least, I’ve never heard Aang or Toph mention something like that.”

“Maybe there’s a different kind of connection between water and fire,” he said.

Katara closed her eyes to feel the tickle of the sun on her eyelashes. It would be another warm day, even though it was technically autumn.

“What kind of connection do you think that is?” she mused.

“I don’t know.” She heard Zuko get up. The next moment, he was next to her. She opened her eyes to see him lying stretched out, hands behind his head.

“I personally always thought water and fire were more alike than opposites, honestly. I mean, Uncle studied the waterbenders to come up with a firebending technique. You can’t do that if the elements have nothing in common.”

“Isn’t the difference more about the attitude of the bender?” she asked. “Like airbenders are fidgety and always flying around, while earthbenders are stoic and stand their ground. Firebenders are powerful and have a temper, waterbenders are fluid and adaptive.”

“You think I have a temper?”

“Not at all,” Katara said with a sly grin.

Zuko laughed.

“You might be right. But, firebenders aren’t all the same. And neither are waterbenders. I’ve seen you scream at people more than once, and I had to adapt to so many different ways of living I can hardly keep track anymore.”

Katara nodded. “Aang is very much like an eartbender when it comes to his convictions. And Toph… I mean, she _is_ kind of unique in how she just enjoys traveling more than actually settling down in one place.”

“So we agree.” Zuko sat up straight again. Shoulder to shoulder, they followed the rise of the sun with their eyes. The higher it rose, the brighter it became - and the harder to keep watching.

“What does bending feel like, for you?” she asked.

He shrugged.

“I can’t really say. It’s warm, I guess. And I always feel more energized when the day starts. As if someone is adding fuel to the fire within me. When I bend, I can feel the warmth going through my body…” he opened his hands. “If you control your breathing, you can control your fire. You’ll know exactly where it goes, what strength it has. And I guess I feel that inside me.”

“It’s actually not that different for me, you know,” Katara said. “I mean, it’s not a warm sensation. It’s cool. But it’s very similar to what you just described. Except I feel much stronger when the night falls.”

She smiled. He smiled back.

“Maybe we’re not really opposites after all, then. More like two sides of the same coin,” she said.

“Maybe,” he nodded.

She continued. “Our elements are balanced not because they’re different and need to cancel each other out. They’re balanced because they work together through push and pull. You can’t always be strong and powerful. I can’t always be calm and dependable. We have to allow ourselves to swing both ways. That’s what balance means.”

“You sound like Uncle,” Zuko said. “Speaking of him, I want to bet he made tea and breakfast. Do you want to climb back down and get some?”

“Absolutely.”

The sun had now fully emerged and driven out the darkness. The sky was blue, and the morning full of promises.


	13. Day thirteen: Folktale

Hanging out in his uncle’s tea shop may not have been the most Fire Lord-y thing to do, but it made Zuko happy. Once a week, he’d take the afternoon off to help Iroh serve customers, wash dishes, and generally spend time together.

Iroh had returned because he was worried about Zuko’s safety, but under no circumstances did he want to come back to live in the palace. Instead, Zuko had helped him find a suitable place for a tea shop. Iroh now traveled regularly between the Jasmine Dragon and this one, which he named the Fire Fox.

“Thanks for all the help today, nephew,” said Iroh as he put down his broom. The last customers of the day were saying their goodbyes. As usual, Iroh had been able to make quite a name for himself within mere days. Of course, it helped when you were one of the most respected former military men of the entire Fire Nation.

“No problem, Uncle,” Zuko said. He liked to help. It forced him to focus on the things in the present, what was under his hands, that which he could directly influence. Dealing with diplomats and politics was much harder.

“How is everything at the palace?” he heard his uncle ask, as if the old man could read his mind. His face fell a little.

“King Kuei is still not agreeing with any proposal I send out about the colonies. If it goes on like this, I’ll have to go meet with him _again_ , and it probably won’t change anything. Then there’s the whole situation with the nobility. I’m having a hard time getting them to agree with anything that forces them to give up some of their wealth, even if it benefits the country in the long run. We’re running out of money, and I don’t know what else to do. At the same time, there are reports of riots and unrest in the rural areas. People are still poor, still suffering from the oppression of those same noblemen. I know at least half of them are working with the Ozai Society, even if they won’t say so to my face. I just know it. And then there’s Azula. She’s safe, I think, for now. I’ve transferred here to someplace else. Only Suki and I know where. That should keep her out of the hands of the Ozai Society…”

“And there’s Katara,” Iroh interrupted him.

Zuko flustered. “What do you mean, Katara? What about her?”

“No, I mean, there’s Katara!”

Iroh pointed outside. The slender Water Tribe girl walked past the shop windows, seemingly on her way to somewhere. Zuko wished he could make himself invisible, but remained frozen to the ground instead.

It all started a couple of weeks back. Zuko had been thinking about all his responsibilities, and how happy he was that Katara had chosen to spend some time in the Fire Nation and was helping him as a result. She had promised him they’d go look for his mom and she and Suki were working on a plan to bring Team Avatar back together for a trip across the world.

Zuko had thought about how much Katara meant to him. She was kind, attentive, mature, fearless. She stood up for him in political meetings, had a natural way with Fire Nation citizens and knew her way around the palace. She had befriended most of the guards in no time and could always count on extra cookies when she went to get some breakfast in the kitchen.

But most importantly, Zuko could confide in her. For a long time, he felt as if the walls were closing in on him. Mai usually wasn’t interested in his work, and Suki was too busy keeping him out of danger. He wrote to Aang regularly, but the boy had gone on some kind of grand world tour that kept him very occupied and made it hard to reach him. Sokka, whom he considered the best friend he ever had, was working hard at the South Pole to become the next Chieftain and as such, had little time to write. Toph, of course, didn’t know how to write - and she definitely didn’t have a knack for subtle political endeavours.

But Katara was different. She was genuinely curious about how the Fire Nation worked and wanted to learn as much as she could about the political discourse. She had taken it upon herself to travel to several Fire Nation provinces to investigate reports. She had also enlisted some workers to help build an official Water Tribe embassy. When Zuko asked her about it - because she conveniently set him up with the bill - she explained that even if she would never become the official diplomat for her tribe, she still thought it important to show people that Fire Nation citizens and Water Tribe people could live together, side by side.

And so, while Zuko was mulling all this over in his study, he realized how much respect he had for Katara. How much he admired her courage, her strength, but also her kindness and her loyalty. And how much it would hurt if she’d eventually leave again. Which would be soon, because she had already told him that she’d accepted an offer from her dad to open a waterbending school at the South Pole once they’d return from their trip with the gang.

“It would be an unique opportunity for me to restore the Southern Style to its former glory,” she had told him with glimmering eyes. “And we could do exchanges with bending schools in the North, as well as in the Swamp. It would allow me to travel. You wouldn’t mind if I would stop by the Fire Nation sometime to teach them how to surf?”

Zuko couldn’t have said no even if he had wanted to. On the one hand, he liked seeing her happy. When she’d arrived here unannounced, she had looked so immensely sad. She didn’t want to talk about it with him, but he had overheard bits and pieces from her conversations with Suki. He wasn’t proud of eavesdropping on them, but he was concerned.

On the other hand, he hated to see her go. She was a bright force within the walls, and within Zuko’s mind as well. He knew Suki enjoyed her company enormously.

But he didn’t want to keep her if she didn’t want to stay. Besides, he understood, more than anyone, the need to go home. To be there for your people.

It didn’t stop the hurting. If anything, it exacerbated it. Whenever he saw her now, he could only think about how much he didn’t want her to go. But he definitely didn’t want to tell her that, so he tried to talk about other things - lighter things. Things that would keep him distracted from blabbering to her about how much he was going to miss her.

He wasn’t good at that. He wanted to talk to her so badly, it almost consumed him. So he could think of only one other thing: to avoid her. If he wouldn’t see her, he wouldn’t be able to talk to her, and he wouldn’t blurt out anything stupid.

Zuko started waking up earlier so he could get breakfast before her and be in his study already, not to be disturbed. He stopped inviting her to meetings, didn’t ask her along anymore on his tours around the city. When he saw her outside by the pond late in the evening, he walked on, his heart bleeding with every step.

And now she was about to set foot in his uncle’s tea shop, and there was nothing he could do to prevent it.

“Hello Iroh, hi Zuko!”

She walked in, radiant. She had brought along some scrolls, Zuko noticed. Waterbending scrolls she got from the library, probably.

“Hi Katara,” he managed to get out. Swiftly, he turned around and took off his apron.

“Uncle, I think it’s time to go. See you next week.” He dropped the apron on the counter and started walking towards the door.

“Zuko, hold up! You want to hear this, I promise.”

Her voice made him stop, and turn around, and look at her. He couldn’t speak, so he just stood there and stared.

“Come, sit,” she said and patted the bench she was sitting on.

He swallowed, moved toward her and sat down. His whole body felt hot.

Katara opened one of the scrolls she had been carrying. On it, a story was written. It was accompanied by paintings, beautifully done.

“This is one of the folk tales surrounding the Aurora,” Katara said. “Zuko, remember we were trying to figure out what the seven world wonders are? The Aurora is one of them.”

“What’s the Aurora again?”

“The Northern Lights. Or the Southern Lights. That’s the problem, they’re not the same. I wish I knew what the difference between them was, but I’m afraid all I could find about the Aurora is this. It’s folklore, so probably not entirely relevant, but I thought Iroh might know more. Given you’ve been in the spirit world, and the story is about spirits.”

Iroh, who had joined them with a pot of tea and three cups, looked at the girl and smiled.

“It’s been a while since I’ve traveled to the spirit world, my dear. I don’t know how much help I can be, but I’ll try my best.”

Zuko still felt Katara’s body heat next to him like a small fire, and he inched away from her.

“Uhh… So, how do we know the Aurora is where we need to be?”

“We don’t,” admitted Katara. She put a lock of hair behind her ear. “But we have to start somewhere and this is as good as anything.”

“Okay. So what’s the story?” Zuko snapped his finger against the scroll. Katara snatched it away from him.

“Hey, be careful! This scroll might be centuries old. It’s still in good shape, let’s try to keep it that way.” She shot him a look - embarrassed, he turned his head away from her.

“I think I know what this is about,” Iroh said and smiled. Katara’s eyes widened.

“You know the story?”

Iroh gestured around him. “I even named this shop after it.”

Both Katara and Zuko leaned across the table to hear more.

“The tale of the Northern Lights comes from the Northern Water Tribe, of course,” Iroh began. “It’s the story of the Fire Fox, a legendary spirit with a tail made of fire. While hunting on the ice, it would smack its tail against the ground. Sparks would fly off his tail and be shot into the air, where they formed the Aurora.”

“But the Northern Lights serve a second purpose. You see, the Fire Fox is also one of the guardians of the Spirit World. And as you may know, our North Pole and South pole are places where the fabric between our worlds is very thin. If one wants to enter the spirit world, it’s actually the perfect place to do so. I should know, because I did so myself, many years ago.”

“Go on, uncle,” said Zuko impatiently. “Tell us the rest of the story!”

Katara put her hand on his arm to calm him down. To him, it felt as if she put a burning hot poker on him. He instinctively pulled away his arm.

“I traveled to the North Pole after my defeat in Ba Sing Se. No one knew where I went, not even my family. The legend says that if you meet the Fire Fox and he deems you worthy, he will use his tail to open the Aurora for you, which then serves as a bridge between our world and the spirit world. The Northern Water Tribe actually has a set of rituals around this, where they sometimes ask the Fox to accept some of their people into the Spirit World. The Southern Tribe,” Iroh nodded at Katara, “has different rituals, but I don’t know about them. I’m sure our waterbending master has more information about that.”

But Katara suddenly looked sad. She shook her head.

“I wish I did. But there wasn’t much time to perform rituals of any kind during the war. We were just trying to survive.”

All three of them went quiet for a little while. Iroh put his hand on top of Katara’s and squeezed. Zuko could slap himself in the face for not thinking of doing that.

“The history of your tribe isn’t lost, my dear,” Iroh said. “You’ve found many waterbending scrolls in the library already and I’m sure there’s even more treasure in there. And I’m sure your Father and Grandmother will have plenty of stories to tell. You just have to ask them.”

Katara looked up and smiled.

“Thank you. For the story about the Fire Fox, and everything else. I’m finally starting to look forward to going home again, now that I know what I want to do with my life.”

Zuko looked the other way so she wouldn’t be able to see his face.

Katara got up, rolled up the scroll and put them in her bag.

“I must be going, Suki and I are having dinner together. It was great to see you, Iroh. Thanks for the tea. Bye, Zuko!”

He turned around to watch her walk away. When he looked back, he saw his uncle stare at him.

“If you think acting like this is going to convince her to stay, you’re wrong,” Iroh said.

Zuko didn’t respond.


	14. Day fourteen: Dao swords

Nights were the worst. Zuko would be in his bed, tossing and turning. He would be out of his bed, sitting in front of his bedroom mirror, looking at his scars. He would climb back into bed, only to watch the sky turn from dark blue, to deep black, to a dark grey again.

If he eventually managed to fall asleep, nightmares would haunt him until the morning came.

At least during the day, he could focus on other things. It wasn’t as if he didn’t have enough to do already, but he always found more. Someone was keeping a report from him that needed reading. Or he made trips to the countryside to hear what people were worried about.

That had been an idea Katara came up with.

“You shouldn’t just sit here all day, reading scrolls and holding meetings with officials. If you want to know what’s going on in the Fire Nation, you should be out there.”

She had pointed out the window and looked at him with a stern face. Zuko remembered himself sighing.

But she was right, of course. 

And so he went, multiple times a week now, without a palankine or heaps of guards. Usually, he only brought Suki, who would be wearing plain clothes. She always brought her fans, though.

It kept him busy, and it kept his mind occupied. He could think about work all day if he wanted, reading until well into the evening. Often he didn’t stop working until all the other lights in the palace had gone out.

He knew that what he was doing was necessary. He was helping his people, helping his nation become a better place. He was rebuilding the world.

But at the same time, there was an ominous feeling nagging at him from the back of his head.

He didn’t see much of Mai anymore, even though they were practically living together. After he had come back from the South Pole, she had announced that she was bringing her stuff into the palace.

It wasn’t much. She had her clothes, her toiletries, her shuriken set and the stuff she used to maintain them.

At first, he tried to make time for her. To have dinner, or take a walk, or go to a play together. But she often refused, and even if she did say yes, she had a sour look on her face the whole time, speaking with nobody, slouched in her chair.

Mai and Zuko talked, argued, fought. It would get heated - the whole palace could hear it. But no one ever said anything, of course.

Except for Katara. She had come to Zuko’s study once, a few days after she had arrived, knocking on the door before she entered. He had been busy - when wasn’t he - but she promised she wasn’t going to be there long, she just wanted to talk for a little bit.

When she sat down, she shuffled in her chair, opened her mouth a couple of times without saying anything. Zuko wished he had even the slightest idea what was going on.

“I heard you fighting the other day,” she said eventually, holding his gaze with intense blue eyes.

“Oh.”

He honestly didn’t know what to say.

“I don’t know Zuko, I don’t want to intrude or anything, but… Are you guys okay? It doesn’t sound like you’re okay.”

Zuko tried to remember what they had been fighting about. They argued so often, it would all tumble together in this big knot that he couldn’t untie. In the end, it was all about the same things, anyway.

“Mai hates that I’m working so hard,” he said, taking the time to use the right words. “She thinks I’m shutting her out, creating distance between us. But the thing is, when I try to tell her about what I’m doing, she never listens.”

He sounded annoyed now, he knew it, but he couldn’t help it. He _was_ annoyed, after all.

“She doesn’t care about my work. Or so it seems. And she’s always so moody, so unhappy. Agni knows I’m trying to make time to do things with her… Like, I don’t know, see a play, feed the turtleducks, anything. But she shuts me down every time, locks herself in her room. Or when she does want to be with me, she just… sits there. We don’t talk about anything unless I bring something up and even then it usually turns into a fight.”

He shut up, he already said too much. One of his biggest faults, he thought, was not knowing when to shut up.

“Mai looks happy when she’s spending time with Ty Lee,” Katara said pensively. “She sometimes comes to Suki’s quarters to look for her, and from what I heard from Suki, they’re having a great time.”

“Well, then I guess she’s saving up all her negativity for me,” Zuko muttered.

Katara got up. “I said I wasn’t going to keep you long,” she said. But she didn’t leave, she just stood there, holding the back of the chair with her hands.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know how to help you,” she apologized to him.

“You don’t have to help,” Zuko said.

“I mean… That came out wrong. It’s not your business. I mean…”

He pushed his face in his hands, breathing forcefully for a few seconds. Every time he closed his eyes, he could feel the sleep tugging at him. But as much as he wished to sleep, he couldn’t.

“It’s okay, I know what you mean.” She waved it away.

“Just… Let me know if you want to talk,” she said

“I could say the same thing to you,” he replied. “When you arrived a couple of days back, you looked… sad. Maybe it’s not my place to ask, but you’re my friend, Katara.”

She smiled a sad smile and shook her head.

“I don’t think I want to talk about it, at least not yet. That’s why I came here. To not have to talk or think about it. If that’s okay.”

“Of course.”

If only _he_ could go somewhere he wouldn’t have to think about anything.

—

He had ordered the palace workers to shut his mother’s wing, as well as his father’s. If he had anything to say about it, he would have burned the latter to the ground, but the Fire Sages didn’t let him. Something to do with the pristine architecture of the whole place.

But he also didn’t want to be forced to go there, or look at it. He had already moved all the business to the opposite side of the palace, where he liked it much better anyway. He also sealed the former throne room. That place still gave him shivers.

He always found himself watchful, on guard. He knew Suki and her warriors were protecting him from the shadows, and he was grateful for it, but they didn’t know his family like he did. Azula knew her way around this palace, she knew every nook and cranny and secret passageway. If she would escape, she’d find him in no time. And kill him, probably. Finish what she started.

Zuko asked for extra security at Ozai’s and Azula’s cells. It didn’t stop the thoughts from crawling over each other like spiderbugs.

—

Zuko tried to only go to bed when he was already so tired he could hardly keep his eyes open. The problem was that the longer he stayed awake, the less tired he became.

It was going to be another one of those nights where he’d be able to see the sun rise.

But this time, instead of sitting around, he went to his side chamber and grabbed the Dao swords off the rack.

The Fire Lord had his own training facilities, of course. They were located at the far end of the palace, outside, near the mountains. It was quiet there.

When he stepped outside, he was surprised to see another person moving around there already.

“Who are you?” He drew his swords, slowly moving forward. He wasn’t afraid.

“It’s me,” a voice returned from the dark.

“Katara!”

He sheathed his swords again.

“The moon is full,” her voice said. Zuko looked up. It was indeed.

“You couldn’t sleep?” he guessed.

“It’s hard to sleep when that much power is surging inside you,” she said with an amused tone. “What about you?” she asked.

“I can’t sleep either,” he confessed.

“I can imagine you have a lot to worry about,” she said.

He couldn’t see where she was exactly. Her voice seemed disembodied, floating around in the dark like a perfume, coming and going.

“Do you want to spar?” she asked.

“Sure.” At least his trip wouldn’t have been for nothing.

A splash of water hit him out of nowhere.

“Hey! We hadn’t started yet!”

“O yes, we did.” Another splash of water.

“At least come out where I can see you,” Zuko said and wiped his face. “This isn’t fair.”

“It’s not going to be fair at all,” Katara said, but she walked towards Zuko so he could finally see her. She was wearing a matching set of dark pants and a top. It made her almost invisible.

“I’ve fought against benders with these before,” he bragged. “And always defeated them easily.”

“Put your money where your mouth is, then,” Katara said and beckoned him closer. She was grinning.

This was going to be a completely different kind of night.


	15. Day fifteen: Scars

She decided to bring her scrolls when she went to visit him. If she was going to watch him train, she might as well do some work.

The others were set to arrive in a couple of days. She had been planning their itinerary, using the library to read up on the world wonders. She wanted to be prepared because she knew that the moment Sokka was back, he’d want to take over. But this was _her_ idea, _her_ invitation, _her_ moment to shine.

Katara regularly checked in with Zuko to make sure he knew what she was doing, where they were standing. She couldn’t really make out his mind these days. He was distant, seemed to avoid her. He used to invite her along on his trips, but he didn’t anymore. She had watched him leave a couple of times, standing in the shadows of the gallery as he took off.

It made her wonder. It also twisted a knot in her stomach, a feeling she should be familiar with by now, but it wasn’t, really. She didn’t come here to feel the same feelings all over again, she told herself. She came here to get rid of those feelings, to overcome them. To not have to feel them anymore.

Besides, Zuko didn’t need to invite her along. She was not an official member of his entourage, even though she was his friend.

He probably had a good reason for not wanting her around so much anymore.

Maybe her presence made him nervous about what was to come. It reminded her that she also hadn’t made good on her promise yet to help him find his mother. If anything, he was probably disappointed with her.

It made sense. She had come to realize that people just… left her. Her father, Aang. Her mother, in a way.

People she cared about deeply somehow always ended up leaving her behind. She wasn’t pitying herself for it. She just learned to anticipate it, to see the signs.

But when it actually happened, she was somehow always surprised by it. The feelings would hit her right behind her ribs, knocked the wind out of her. Just thinking about it made her heart race, her stomach flutter. Sometimes, when the thoughts hit her, she’d forget how to breathe.

The tip of her nose ached, and she knew that if she wouldn’t do anything, she would start crying.

Crying was not why she had come to the Fire Nation.

Katara turned a corner to catch her breath, come to her senses. She was okay. She was going to be okay. It didn’t matter. The others would be here soon and she’d have no time left to worry about anything anymore, because they’d all need her all the time and honestly, she was looking forward to that.

She resumed her step, clutching the scrolls to her chest. A barrier between her and anyone who wanted to question her right to be here. Besides, she’d be gone soon. She was going home. Again. She’d be nobody’s burden after that anymore.

Zuko was already there. Katara saw Suki, and Ty Lee, and some of the other warriors. Even Mai had showed up.

This was going to be quite a sight to behold.

She made herself comfortable on one of the benches, spreading out the scrolls around her. There was so much to do.

In the background, the sounds of fighting commenced. Katara heard Suki yell orders. Calm, collected, self-assured.

The familiar _zing_ of Mai’s shurikens cut through the air. Katara fought her reflexes. She wasn’t going to look up, she told herself as she stared at the parchment in her hands. She was going to focus on whatever was written on here and she was going to be so prepared…

_By Agni, why hadn’t he invited her along to train?_

She knew she was the most powerful bender in the entire palace. He knew. She knew that he knew. He knew that she knew that he knew. What was his problem?

Katara rolled up the scrolls. Then, she rolled up the sleeves of her tunic and stepped into the ring.

They all looked up.

“Mind if I join?”

It wasn’t a question, not really. Katara locked eyes with Suki and raised her eyebrows. Her friend spread her arms.

“Who could resist a sparring match against you?”

She turned her head to look at Zuko. He caught her glance and looked away.

Katara drew energy from unknown sources that day. One of her ice disks cut Mai’s shuriken in half. She pinned Zuko to the ground with just two icicles.

Privately, she’d been working with Ty Lee and Suki to improve her defense against chi-blocking attacks. It had required her to become more flexible, more acrobatic. She wasn’t as gracious as Ty Lee, but at least she could hold a hand stand now.

So when her friends charged at her, fingers ready to strike, she zig-zagged between them, sliding to avoid Ty Lee’s foot. Before she came to a halt, she turned around and used her own, improved version of a water whip to tie their limbs.

Panting, she oversaw her victory.

—-

“You could have asked me to train with you, you know.”

He stopped, shoulders raised.

She stood behind him, arms crossed before her chest.

“I thought you were busy.”

Even he knew that was a lame excuse. Katara never turned down and opportunity to fight. She was often the one who hauled _him_ out of his study.

He still hadn’t turned around to look at her. Katara wanted to scream, stomp her feet on the ground, demand answers. _What are you hiding from me? Why are you ignoring me?_

But she was not going to give in. Not again. She was going to swallow her tears and her pride and not break down and feel small anymore. Being here, thinking it all through, Katara had made the decision to not let anyone hurt her like that again.

Not Aang, not her father, not anyone. So definitely not Zuko.

Who was just another friend, anyway.

“Well, I wasn’t,” she said, pleased with how calm she sounded.

Zuko finally turned around. She only saw the scarred side of his face, the red, tender skin around his eye. He wore his hair down today, so she couldn’t see it, but she knew the scar reached even further than his ear.

“You’re right, I should have asked you. I’m sorry, Katara.”

Her anger left her. As if someone chi-blocked her entire body and mind at once.

“Just don’t forget me next time.”

“I promise I won’t forget you.”

She knew he wasn’t going to keep that promise. No one ever did.


	16. Day sixteen: Intimacy

“Katara, why are you ignoring me?”

“Excuse me? Why are you ignoring _me_?”

He had followed her when she had left the group to grab some supplies for dinner. Now they were facing each other, and Katara couldn’t help but feel reminiscent of that other time he had come after her to question her behavior. Only this time, everything was different.

“What are you talking about? I’m not ignoring you?” Zuko stammered. His right cheek colored pink. He frowned.

Katara rolled her eyes.

“You’re a terrible liar. Yes, you are ignoring me, avoiding me, and you know it. I don’t know _why_ you’re doing it, maybe you’re mad at me, maybe you’re disappointed because we haven’t started looking for your mom yet, but don’t stand here and lie to my face that you don’t know what I’m talking about.”

Zuko looked at the ground, his face contorted.

“You’ve been acting strange for the past few weeks,” she continued, fired up by her own anger. “You ‘forget’ to invite me to a training session. In fact, you don’t invite me along for anything anymore. You all but stop speaking to me, refuse to look me in the eyes… I have feelings too, you know. And what you’re doing hurts. I thought we were friends, I really did. But I guess I was wrong.”

“Yes, you are wrong! What you’re saying is not true at all! I didn’t forget you, I never did!”

“Oh, so you mean you didn’t invite me on purpose? Gee, thanks Zuko, that really makes me feel better.”

Katara turned around and forcefully grabbed her bag. She had almost forgotten what she actually came here to do.

“Look, Katara, that’s not what I meant. Just hear me out…”

But she barged by him, cooking supplies in hand.

“Find someone else to listen to your excuses,” she said, spitting out the words. “Because I’m done.”

——

“You know, you’re so easy to read. I’m surprised Sugar Queen hasn’t figured it out yet. But then again, I think you may not have figured it out yourself.”

Zuko opened his eyes and got up from his bed. Toph was sitting on the edge, looking at some spot in the middle distance.

“What are you talking about?” he grumbled.

Toph giggled, a sound that didn’t really match with her forceful personality.

“The signs are all there. The sweating, the heartbeat, the useless blabbering that comes out of your mouth… You really don’t know what I’m talking about?”

Zuko sighed.

“If you’re trying to say I’m messing up my friendship with Katara by acting like a jerk then yes, I know what you’re talking about.”

“Not really. I mean, do you know _why_ you’re acting like a jerk?”

“Because I don’t want her to feel pressured into staying in the Fire Nation because I’ll miss her when she leaves?” he tried.

Toph shook her head.

“Uh-uh. Although you’re doing quite a good job at pressuring her into running away from you as fast as possible.”

She jumped up, walked to the other end of the room and leaned against the wall.

“You people are all so oblivious about your own feelings. I kept telling Katara last year that she obviously had a thing for Haru, but she kept denying it. Like you guys don’t know I can literally feel it when you’re lying.”

Zuko didn’t know whether this required a response, so he said nothing.

“See, you’re doing it again,” Toph suddenly snapped.

“I’m not doing anything!” he protested.

“You’re sitting there feeling sorry for yourself because Katara is mad at you but you never stop to think what it is that makes you act this way?” Toph threw her hands in the air in exasperation.

“If you know it so well, why don’t you just tell me,” he bit back.

“You’re in love with her, of course, dummy,” she replied with a triumphant smirk.

In a reflex, he stuck out his hands in front of him, trying to remove himself from those words as far as possible.

“What are you talking about? I’m not in love with her?”

“I’m not in love with her?” Toph mocked him. “Yes, you _are,_ Zuko. And because you’re you, not only are you making your own life miserable because of it, but Katara’s too.”

“Ugh.” He grabbed his pillow and hit himself in the face with it.

What if Toph was right? What was he supposed to do? They couldn’t be together. Katara wouldn’t even _want_ to be with him, after everything he did to her. Besides, he was still with Mai, even though that was barely a shadow of a relationship.

“You’re only giving me more reason to stop talking to her altogether,” he said, his voice muffled because he was still holding the pillow.

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Toph said. “Look, I don’t know much about love and relationships, but I definitely know it’s a bad idea to keep something from Katara.”

“Even if you’re right, and I’m not saying you are,” he warned her, because he could hear her protesting, “There’s no way this is going to work. I’m the Fire Lord. She’s from the Water Tribe.”

“Like I said, I’m not the one to go to for relationship advice. You should probably ask Sokka. Or Suki. They’re disgusting together.”

She made a face.

“All I’m saying is that you should stop lying to yourself. And stop lying to Katara. You’re ruining this trip for all of us.”

The moment Toph left the room, Zuko fell back onto his bed.

—–

After dinner, Katara and Zuko were the only ones to move to wash the dishes. As Katara collected the cups and plates and utensils, Zuko heated some water in a clean pot.

“Thanks,” she mumbled as she stacked the dishes next to it.

They had done this together before. She would rinse, he would dry. Soon, they fell into a comfortable, silent rhythm.

Zuko cleared his throat.

“Katara, I’m sorry. You were right. I was avoiding you. But it’s not what you think.”

He paused to gauge her reaction, but she hadn’t stopped washing. She wasn’t even giving him so much as a look.

“So, anyway,” he stammered, “What it really was… The thing is… I’m just…”

Now she stopped, and turned, and raised her eyebrow.

His voice lowered to a mumble. “I am really going to miss you when you’ll leave. But I didn’t want to say anything that could change your mind. So I thought it better if I just… stopped talking to you.”

As soon as the words had left his mouth, he realized how dumb it sounded. He raised his shoulders, expecting a scolding, or worse.

When nothing came, he looked up to find Katara with tears streaming down her face.

“I thought you were mad at me,” she whispered.

“I thought you were mad at _me_.”

“You should have told me,” she said.

“I know. I’m so sorry. I was stupid, and I ruined our friendship. I’m a terrible person.”

Katara’s opened her eyes wide.

“Don’t say that! You’re not a terrible person. And you didn’t ruin our friendship. You did a stupid thing, but we all do stupid things.”

She put her wet hand on his arm, and when he didn’t move, she hooked her other arm around his neck.

Carefully, he put down the plate, and wrapped his own arms around her waist.

“I’m just happy to know I was wrong to think you didn’t want anything to do with me anymore,” she said, her breath hot against his scarred ear.

He loosened his grip, wanted to look her in the eye.

“Katara, you’re on of the most amazing people I have ever met.”

She tried to look away, but Zuko squeezed her arm.

“I would never want nothing to do with you. Why would you think that?”

She shrugged.

“I guess I’m used to people I care about deciding I’m not worth it to stick around for.”

All of a sudden, he understood.

“I’m not going to forget about you. Not ever. Besides, you’re the one leaving me behind, not the other way around.”

She laughed through her tears.

“I guess you’re right about that. Promise me you’ll write me, though.”

“I will, if you write back.”

“Of course! And you should come visit.”

They both laughed, still holding onto each other.

“I’m sorry for yelling at you,” she said.

He chuckled. “I kind of deserved it, I think.”

Katara was the first to let go. With one hand, she wiped away the remaining tears on her face.

“Come on, let’s finish this before everyone starts wondering why it’s taking so long.”

—–

Zuko fell down on his bed, face into the pillow.

“You haven’t told her,” a voice said from the hallway.

“Go away, Toph.”

“Why didn’t you tell her?”

“I said, go. away.”

But of course, the little earthbender stayed where she was.

“Are you still not convinced you’re in love with her?”

“Toph!”

Zuko got up and closed the door.

Toph chuckled.

“So you _are_ convinced. What changed your mind?”

He didn’t respond, just went back to lying on his bed. He grabbed the pillow and buried his face in it again.

“Leave me alone,” he said while talking through the fabric.

“You’re going to have to tell her, sooner or later. I don’t know if someone ever told you, but you’re a terrible liar. Either she’s going to find out, or you will explode because of all your repressed feelings.”

“I shouldn’t tell her. I’m with Mai. She’s leaving for the South Pole. I’ll just get over it.“

Toph sighed.

“Fine, suit yourself. But don’t come crying to me when your feelings don’t go away. Or when your heart gets broken.”

“Will you just leave already?”

Zuko wanted nothing more than this day to be over.


	17. Day seventeen: Eclipse

On the night of the eclipse, it also happened to be the night before Katara’s birthday. 

Normally, a young woman like her would be married be now. But she was turning sixteen and there was no betrothed in sight. She liked it that way. It confused people, which meant they let her do as she pleased. 

Since coming back to the South Pole, she had worked hard on her school for Southern waterbenders. She had taken the scrolls from the Fire Nation palace’s library with her when she left, something she hadn’t told Zuko about, but she was convinced he wouldn’t mind. 

With the scrolls, she was able to re-learn herself the Southern style of bending properly. It gave her an advantage to be able to use both styles interchangeably, and when sparring with the waterbenders from the North she had noticed that the element of surprise didn't hurt either. 

There weren’t many pupils yet. Two girls showed signs of waterbending talents, but they were too young for continuous training. And Katara was ambitious. She’d rather spend some more time working on her own technique than training people before she was fully ready.

Initially she hadn’t planned anything special for tonight. Given the eclipse, Katara thought she might stay awake the whole night to train, try out new bending techniques. But Sokka decided otherwise.

“You’re not turning sixteen without a party,” he had said last week. “Suki will be here for the first time in months and we could all use a break.”

Sokka had been working hard, too. Hakoda took him completely under his wing and barely gave him time to do anything but learn how to be a good Chieftain. Hunting, trade missions, negotiations, meetings - it was an arduous experience, but Katara was a little jealous of her brother all the same. 

Not that she didn’t like her new job. It was far better than mending clothes and cooking dinner.

“Katara!”

Suki’s voice got her out of a trance she didn’t even realize she was in. Her friend arrived only yesterday, but it was obvious that she’d been her more often in the past year. She had her own parka - Gran Gran made it for her. Kanna was completely smitten with the Earth Kingdom warrior, and repeatedly told Sokka he was lucky to have found a girl like her.

“I’m coming!”

She got up. Suki stood in the entryway of her room, leaning against the doorpost. 

That, too, was new. Katara couldn’t believe her eyes when she set foot on the South Pole. Everything had changed. The little village she grew up in had been traded in for something much more modern, much larger. It was different from the North Pole, more welcoming, but it was very different all the same. 

One of the biggest changes was the fact that instead of igloes, real houses had been made out of blocks of ice. The roofs were still rounded, though, as a nod to their history. 

“You’re not going to your own birthday party wearing _that,”_ Suki said and pointed at Katara’s outfit.

“What’s wrong with it?” she asked as she grabbed hold of her parka. It wasn’t special, sure, but it was comfortable and didn’t get in the way of her bending. One of the main differences of the Southern style was that Katara used her lower body much more than she used to. Sometimes, she almost felt like an airbender.

“There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s just not a party outfit,” Suki answered matter-of-factly. She stepped into Katara’s room and starting looking through her clothes. Eventually, she held up a different parka. It was a darker shade of blue, with silver embroidery. A sun and a moon.

“Hmmm. I’m not sure.” Katara pursed her lips. “I haven’t worn that one in ages.”

“That’s exactly why you should wear it tonight.” Suki pressed the parka into her hands. “I’m not going to leave here until you change. Come on. When a Kyoshi Warrior turns sixteen, the whole island celebrates for a week.”

“That’s because you have nothing better to do,” Katara said with a smirk. The comment earned her an elbow between the ribs. 

She changed, and Suki was satisfied, and they stepped outside. Suki linked her arm through hers. They chatted and laughed on their short walk towards the main hall. Katara counted herself lucky for having such a good friend around.

“Katara! Happy birthday!” Hakoda walked up to them, grabbing his daughter by the shoulders and pressing two firm kisses on both her cheeks. 

“Thanks, dad. Although, technically, it’s not my birthday yet,” she pointed out.

Sokka appeared behind her father, holding a cup of mulled wine. He had pestered Iroh for days until he gave up the recipe to the traditional Fire Nation mulled wine. Sokka’s version was a little different - spicier, Katara thought - but it was good nonetheless.

“For the birthday girl!” he said as he put Katara’s hand around the cup. She took a sip. It was _definitely_ spicier.

“Thanks, Sokka.” She took a moment to look around the room. Everyone from their tribe was here, as well as all the Northerners who were still staying with them. Someone had taken the time to painstakingly carve decorations out of ice blocks. Given the slightly botched handiwork, Katara suspected Sokka was behind it.

“You know, I really wasn’t looking forward to this, but you really made an effort,” she said to her brother. He smiled and pulled Suki closer.

“It was Suki’s idea, actually. I just provided the necessary skills.” He rolled up his sleeves and flexed his muscles.

Katara and Suki shared a look.

“Thanks to both of you, then,” she said appreciatively. 

Somewhere, someone started playing music. A buffet of food was brought inside. Katara couldn’t believe her eyes - all her favorite dishes were present.

“You have to thank your grandmother for that,” she heard Hakoda say next to her.

“Where is Gran Gran, anyway?”

“I’m right behind you, young lady." 

She turned around in a flash and tightly hugged Kanna. 

"Thanks for all of this, it looks amazing!” She pressed her lips against Gran Gran’s cheek.

“It’s a good Southern tradition to bring out the best food of the Tribe during special occasions like these,” Kanna said with a smile.

Katara didn’t want to admit it, but she was genuinely having a good time. Suki and her brother were fun company, and she even shared a dance with her dad. A good number of mulled wines later, all the spirits were pleasantly elevated.

“The eclipe is about to begin!” she heard someone say. And at the same time, she felt it - a stirring inside her, as if a beast that laid dormant had awoken. Her fingers tingled, and she stretched her limbs.

Suddenly, a rumble. The whole room was shaking, with several ornaments falling from the ceiling. Katara quickly used her bending to turn the ice into water before it hit the ground - or someone’s head.

“What’s going on?” People were running around, confused, slightly panicked. This wasn’t something that usually happened during an eclipse. 

“Could it be a tsunami?” Sokka asked, looking worried. 

Katara shook her head. “We’re in completely the wrong area for that. Tsunamis, earthquakes … that’s more likely to happen in the Fire Nation.”

Sokka still wasn’t convinced. 

“Something is causing this,” he said, “And we should find out what it is. Let’s go outside.”

He drew his boomerang as Suki grabbed her fans from the belt at her waist. Katara felt entirely calm, surrounded by her element, at the absolute height of her powers. If someone wanted to attack the Southern Water Tribe, they had come at the wrong time.

But the moment she set foot outside, she knew it was something different.

Huge lights were beaming in her direction, and she had to shield her eyes with her hand to see anything. Vaguely, she could make out the contours of a ship. A _Fire Nation_ ship, she realized with a shock.

“It’s Zuko!” she heard Suki say. “What’s he doing here?”

_Zuko?_

And yes, there he was, emerging from the bowels of the ship as if _he_ was the special guest everyone had been waiting for. Quite the dramatic entrance, she thought, and snickered.

“I feel like I’m interrupting something,” she heard him say when he came closer. Sokka jumped on his back, which caused Zuko to lose his balance and tumble right into a thick layer of fresh snow.

“You are, actually,” Katara said with a sweet voice.

“Yeah! We’re having a party. It’s Katara’s birthday,” Sokka said as he got up. Zuko was still lying in the snow, looking utterly helpless.

“Come on guys, be a little nicer,” Suki said and grabbed Zuko’s arm to help him up.

“You don’t mess with the Southern Water Tribe,” Sokka said. “But it’s good to see you, Zuko.” He smiled at his friend.

Zuko groaned, but then laughed. “I guess it’s the welcome I should expect from the two of you.”

“Just the one of him,” Katara corrected him. She grabbed his hand and drew him in for a hug. 

“Happy birthday,” Zuko said to her. “I’m sorry I didn’t bring a gift.”

“That’s okay.” A question popped up in her mind. “If you’re not here for my birthday, then why are you?”

Zuko shrugged. 

“It’s very quiet without all of you running around the palace,” he said. 

Katara smiled. “Well, you’ve come to the right place. There are plenty of people running around here, and there’s music, so we can dance.”

Zuko took a step backward. “Oh no, I’m not dancing.”

But Sokka pushed his boomerang into Zuko’s back.

“Listen, buddy. You’re not barging in here unannounced and without a birthday present, only to tell us you’re not dancing. That’s not how it works.”

Suki tried to hide her laugh behind her hand, but failed miserably. 

Katara grabbed Zuko’s hand once more. “Come on, Zuko, it’ll be fun. I promise.”

He grimaced. 

“Only because it’s you,” he warned.

That was enough for her. 


	18. Day eighteen: Caught undressed

Katara lowered herself into the soothing water of the hot springs. Her clothes sat bundled up on the ice, wrapped in a hide to protect them against freezing stiff.

She was hidden by a large wall of ice. It was exactly why she’d chosen this spot. This day was meant entirely for her, without distractions from duties. Everyone else could wait.

Stretching her sore limbs, she let the water envelop her until only her head was above the water line. She had wrapped her hair into a bun, held together by a silk scarf that she’d bought in Ba Sing Se. It was expensive, but protected her wavy curls from the damaging heat.

“…no one’s here. We have the whole place to ourselves!”

“Are you sure we should be doing this?”

“Absolutely. You can’t leave the South Pole without having experienced this. It’s divine.”

Katara closed her eyes. Sokka. And Zuko, she thought it was his voice she heard. Of course her brother would have the same idea she did. She could only hope they wouldn’t come here and-

“This is my favorite spot. It’s right behind this wall of ice, where no one can see…oh, hi Katara.”

“Wait, did you say _Katara_?” said Zuko with a slightly panicked voice.

Katara opened her eyes to look at Sokka’s beaming face. He was wearing his clothes, still, but she wasn’t, and she knew exactly what was about to happen.

“It’s just my sister,” Sokka said and waved his arm to beckon Zuko closer. Katara frowned and furiously shook her head, but Sokka didn’t notice.

“Uhh…I don’t know, Sokka. Maybe we should leave Katara alone.”

 _Thank the spirits_ , she thought.

“What? No way! This is my favorite spot for a reason. Katara won’t mind we’re here. Right, Katara?”

“Well, actually…” she started, but Sokka wasn’t really listening to her anyway. He unwrapped his own hide, undressed quickly and jumped into the water. It created a wave that engulfed Katara before she realized it.

“Sokka!”

Angered, she bent a large wave of her own and smashed it into his brother’s face when he came up for air. It sent him into a huge coughing fit.

“What’s that good for?” he asked in between taking big gulps of air.

“I was here first. And I _do_ mind that you guys are here. I wanted to spend some time by myself, and now you’re here, making noise and getting me all wet.”

She didn’t mention her biggest concern - the fact that they’d be together in the water, without swimming clothes. Katara did not feel comfortable with that at all. If it were just her brother, sure, she’d seen him naked a million times before. But Zuko? No way.

“Zuko, my dude, are you coming or not? You’re missing out!”

Sokka positioned himself on the edge of the hot spring, closed his eyes and sighed a contented sigh.

Katara rolled her eyes.

“Fine. If you’re going to be _that_ jerk, I’ll find a different spot.”

Carefully, she climbed out of the water, checking for signs of Zuko. But he didn’t appear, and she got the hide from under her clothes to wrap herself in.

Without thinking, she turned the corner around the ice wall.

“Oh!”

Zuko was standing shirtless, in the process of removing his pants. Her cry stopped him dead in his tracks.

“Katara!”

Flustered, he raised his pants again, standing up straight facing her. It gave her a good view of his torso, and the scar right at the center.

The scar he had because of her.

“I’m sorry,” she said after she realized she had been staring. “I didn’t mean to-”

“I’m sorry we disturbed your-”

They both stopped speaking, started, stopped again. Cautious, they looked each other in the eye, trying to guess who was going to talk first.

“I’ll just go. Enjoy the hot spring,” she said at last.

When she left, her cheeks were burning.


	19. Day nineteen: Avatara

They were sitting around the campfire, all six of them. Laughing, drinking, eating, telling stories.

"So... Let's play a game," Sokka said.

"I just made it up. Someone will be the Avatar and other people have to come up with difficult scenarios the Avatar has to solve."

"How is that a game?" Toph asked. "There's no way to win that."

Aang laughed as Sokka sighed.

"It's supposed to help us get to know each other better. You could ask about secrets or something like that. Here, I'll begin. Suki, you're the Avatar."

"Okay." Suki sat up straight and looked at the boyfriend with a smirk.

"Let's say..." Sokka pursed his lips. "Let's say you have to save Aang or me. You can only save one of us. Who would you save?"

"Wait," said Zuko. "Is Aang still the _real_ Avatar in this scenario? Or just an Airbender?"

"Good question..." Sokka stroked his chin. "I think he's still the real Avatar."

"So does that mean we have two Avatars?" Katara said. "I don't get it."

"This is hopeless," Toph said as she threw some more roasted nuts in her mouth. "It's a terrible game. Even Sokka doesn't know the rules, and he made it up."

"Come on you guys, I think it's fun," Aang said. "Suki, who would you save? Sokka or me?"

The warrior girl looked pensive.

"You know, it's really tough. Because on the one hand, Sokka is my boyfriend. But on the other hand, you're the Avatar, Aang. And that's important too."

"Yeah, but when Aang dies, he'll be reborn into another being. So technically, he doesn't die," said Sokka. He took another sip of his drink. "I think it's only fair if you save me."

"You make a valid point," Suki nodded. "I'm sorry Aang, I'm going with mister Water Tribe over here." She leaned over to kiss Sokka on the cheek.

"Suki can pick the next Avatar," Sokka said.

"Hmmm... Katara, you've been awfully quiet this evening. Your turn."

Everyone turned towards Katara, except Toph, who was still looking in the direction of the fire.

"I have a question for Avatar Katara," the blind earthbender said with a grin.

"Let's hear it!"

"Would you marry the Fire Lord if that was the only way to secure world peace?"

Zuko turned bright red.

"Wait, who is the Fire Lord in this scenario?" said Sokka. "Zuko or his dad?"

"Imagine it's Zuko," Toph said. "Katara, would you do it?"

"I don't know," Katara replied, talking slowly. "I mean, why would Zuko want to marry me?"

"Because he is hopelessly in love with you," said Toph. Zuko tried to make her stop speaking, but she put up an earth wall between them that hit Zuko right in the nose.

"Toph! That hurt!"

"Don't try to silence me," she said unapologetically.

"Well?" Aang sounded anxious, his eyebrows raised and his mouth slightly agape.

"I mean, if it's the only way to secure world peace... Sure. I'd do it."

Katara shrugged. Zuko turned crimson. Aang got up and left.

"Where's he going?" Sokka asked, dumbfounded.

"I knew it!" Toph cackled. "I knew Sugar Queen would marry Zuko."

"No one is marrying anyone," Suki interjected. "It's a game."

"Aang?" Katara got up and peered into the darkness.

"Should I go after him?" She looked around the group.

"I don't know. I didn't see where he went," Suki said, as she stood up as well. "But I'm sure he didn't go far. Maybe we should go looking together."

Toph punched Zuko in the upper arm.

"Isn't that great, Sparky?"

Zuko didn't say anything.

Meanwhile, Katara and Suki walked into the bushes. The further they went from the campfire, the more quiet it became. Soon, they could hear all the sounds of the nocturnal animals around them.

It made them quiet, too.

"Why do you think he's so upset?" Suki asked whispering. "I thought you had worked things out."

"I thought so too!" Katara said. "We had this whole conversation a few days ago. He apologized and we hugged. I thought we were good."

"I guess he can't stomach the idea of you being with Zuko instead," Suki said as she cut herself a way through the vegetation.

"That's ridiculous. He's acting just like during the Ember Island play. Getting all worked up over nothing. There is nothing between me and Zuko. We're just friends."

Suki glanced sideways at her friend, but didn't say anything.

"Aang? Come on! Don't run away like that again!"

They both heard the sound of breaking twigs, not far from them.

"It's coming from that direction," Suki said. "Let's go."

They started running, cutting their arms and legs on the sharp branches that hit them. Soon, they reached an open space, where they found Aang sitting in meditation position. His arrows were glowing.

"Oh no."

Katara inhaled sharply and ran towards Aang. Without opening his eyes, he sent a gust of wind in her direction, knocking her off her feet.

"Aang!" Katara rubbed her back, which she had landed on not so softly. "I know you're in there. Don't do this! There's no reason."

"Don't talk to me," he said, speaking as if with a thousand voices.

Suki and Katara flinched, as Aang created a tornado that whirled around the three of them. Katara shrieked as she noticed the wind was strong enough to pull the bushes with root and all from the earth.

"Aang!" She tried again. "Make it stop! It's getting out of control!"

She shielded her eyes with her arm and pushed forward, step by step. Aang still hadn't opened his eyes.

Suki held onto her friend, keeping her in place. Together, they came closer and closer to the boy.

Katara managed to put her hand on his shoulder. She squeezed hard, trying with all her might to reach the boy she knew was inside.

Maybe she was imagining things, but she could swear the storm slowly abated.

"Aang?"

She crouched down to meet him at eye level.

"Why did you have to do this, Katara?" he said, his voice still unsettling. "Why did you have to make me angry like this?"

Katara huffed.

"I didn't do anything! You decided to get all jealous again and storm off! It was just a game."

"Is it really?"

She started to really lose her cool.

"Will you stop accusing me? I'm not lying to you! And even if I liked Zuko, that's none of your business! We're not together! I thought we figured this out! What's wrong with you?"

She was yelling at him now, and unashamed for doing so.

Suki stood next to her.

"I don't know if that's going to calm him down," she said. "But I understand your need to say it."

But surprisingly, Aang finally opened his eyes. He looked at Katara.

"Katara, I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me. It just... happened. I got so angry and wanted to do all these horrible things... I don't understand. I wasn't in control of myself."

"You always say that," Katara replied with a bitter voice. "I'm getting really tired of listening to your excuses for acting like this all the time."

"This was different, I swear!" He held up his hands. "What we talked about last week is the truth. I'm sorry for what happened and I understand why you were hurt. I'm not trying to make excuses. It really felt as if something took possession of me."

Katara and Suki shared a look.

"That doesn't sound good," Suki said. "We should go back to camp and try to figure out a plan. If this happens more often, we're in trouble."

Aang got up and shivered.

"I still feel weird," he said. "Like there's this dark cloud in my soul. It's as if it's running around inside me, yelling at me."

He looked at his stomach.

"Are you sure you're not just hungry?" Katara asked dryly. She still felt queasy about what just happened.

"Not funny, Katara." Aang glanced at her. "I'm serious. Something is wrong, I just know it. Maybe it has something to do with our mission."

"The first world wonder? I doubt it," said Suki.

They made their way back to the camp. Zuko, Toph and Sokka were still near the fire.

"All clear," Suki said cheerfully. She went back to sit next to Sokka, wrapping her arms around him.

Katara put her hand on Aang's back. "You should probably go to sleep," she said softly. "I think you could use some rest."

Aang nodded, leaving without saying goodnight.

Zuko got up and grabbed Katara by the wrist.

"Look, I had no idea Toph was going to ask that," he said hastily.

Katara pried her arm loose from his grasp.

"You don't need to be so dramatic about it," she said. "We already have enough drama queens in this group as it is."

Zuko looked embarrassed.

"I just don't want you to think the wrong thing."

Katara sighed.

"The only thing I'm thinking is that I'm tired and that it's been a long day. Zuko, it was a stupid game. We all know Toph likes to be this way. Aang just... he was just overreacting."

She decided not to tell him about what happened. She hadn't fully decided for herself what she thought about it, and she wanted you think about it some more first.

"What happened out there?" Zuko asked.

"Nothing. We talked."

Not a complete lie.

"Are you guys drinking some more wine with us?" Sokka shouted at them.

They both turned their heads with a frown.

"I'm going to bed," Zuko said surly.

"Me too." Katara yawned. "We still have a long way to go before our first stop."

"Good night, Avatara," Toph said. "Good night, Fire Lord."

No one seemed to understand why the little earthbender was having so much fun.


	20. Chapter twenty: Fairytale

She was working on some basic bending forms as he came in.

“Are you coming here to watch me and make me nervous?”

He grinned.

“I actually came to ask you if you wanted to take a break.”

Katara put her hands on her hips and took a good look around the room. She had been working all morning to finalize the inside of her training hall. It was a half-inside, half-outside construction, right next to the ocean. She could hear the waves crash on the shore nearby.

“Sure. Why not.” She put on her mittens and walked towards Zuko. 

“What do you think?” she asked as she gestured around her.

“It looks good. Functional.” He cleared his throat.

“Not pretty?” She couldn’t hide the disappointment from her voice. “I worked so hard on the decorations.”

“Katara, you’re a fighter. Not an artist. Uhh.. I mean… it’s nice.” He sighed. “I give up. I always say the wrong thing.”

She laughed and put her hand on his arm. “It’s nice to have you around. Blue looks good on you, too.”

“Thanks,” he said sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. 

Their walk had no specific direction - they just strolled, aimlessly, while Katara talked and Zuko listened. She told him about her ideas for the lessons, the excursions she was planning, the bending forms she was going to teach first. He nodded, encouraged, engaged.

“You know, I don’t think I have ever had someone in my life to confide in as much as you,” she said. “You’re different. You understand.”

“I do? I mean, yes, of course.”

They reached one of their favorite spots: an ice formation which somewhat resembled a castle. They had explored the place several times, discovering new things every time they went.

“Did I ever tell you there’s a tale about this place?” she asked as they set down on a block of ice. Zuko bent a small flame in his hands to keep them warm.

He frowned. “I don’t think so. What’s the story?”

“Oh, it’s a good one. You will love it.” Katara smiled thinking about it. “It was one of my favorite bedtime stories when I grew up.”

“It’s about a young girl who meets a spirit one day. The spirit says he can tell her her future, but that she’ll have to pay for the privilege. She accepts, and he tells her that she will become the greatest waterbenders of her time.

The girl is excited, and indeed becomes one of the greatest waterbenders ever. She singlehandedly defeated a large army and was the only one to ever defeat the Avatar of that time in a waterbending match.

But, like I said, the spirit said she’d have to pay for knowing her future. And one day he comes to collect his payment. The woman is still quite young, she’s beautiful and very clever. The spirit falls in love with her and says that in order to fulfill her payment, she will have to marry him.

She flat out refuses, because marrying a spirit would mean she’d have to live in the spirit world forever. But payment is payment, and he takes her with him, and she is trapped. She can’t use her bending anymore and she’s very unhappy.”

“Ouch, that’s rough,” said Zuko.

“The girl has a strong mind and she vouches to escape. So she crafts a plan. She asks the spirit for a favour: one month per year she’ll be able to go back to Earth, and the remaining years she’ll happily be his wife. The spirit sees she’s unhappy and he agrees.

So now, she has one month per year to work on her escape. She takes it slow, because she knows the spirit is smart. She meets with people and reads scrolls, trying to find out how she can break herself free from this bond.

Eventually she finds the answer: if she can trap the spirit on Earth, she will be free of her marriage to him. But how does she do that? She comes up with this idea to bend a beautiful castle, and tells the spirit it will be their new home.

And the spirit, who by now is so in love with her that he’ll do anything for her, comes to the real world and stays in the castle. But the longer the spirit lives in our world, the more difficult it becomes for him to return. You see, spirits have to live in the spirit world in order to survive. They can’t be here forever.

So eventually, the spirit is weakened so much that the woman can use her waterbending talents to trap him in the castle. She flees, and the moment she sets a foot outside, she is released from her bond to the spirit. The spirit didn’t survive long after that, of course, but the castle still stands. As proof of not to mess with waterbenders.”

Zuko laughed. 

“I can see why you liked that story,” he said. “She sounds just like you.”

Katara nodded. “Being the only waterbender in the entire South Pole, it was comforting to know that even one person, one girl, could take charge of her own destiny in this world.”

Zuko put his hand on op of hers. “Well, you definitely took charge of your destiny. And I think you helped other people take charge, too.”

“Like who?”

“Like me. Katara, I never would have been the person I am today if it wasn’t for you. You trusted me before anyone else did, and you forgave me when I messed up. You helped me become a better person. I couldn’t have done that without you.”

Katara blushed. 

“Maybe we should go back to the others,” she said.

“Yeah.” They got up and slowly made their way back to the village.

“Zuko?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for being there for me, in the past year. I never properly thanked you.”

“You would have done the same for me.”

And she looked at him, at the brightness in his eyes, the slight smile on his face, and she felt something she couldn’t immediately identify. Something… soft. And warm. And light.

She wanted to hug him, but where she’d normally throw her arms around him, she hesitated now. 

“It’s nice to have you around,” she said once more. “I’m going back to work.” She felt a haste to get out this situation and make her heart beat normally again. “I’ll see you at dinner.”

“Thanks for the walk. It was fun. If you want to, I can pick you up again tomorrow.”

Katara noticed she was holding her breath.

“Sounds good. You know where to find me.”

“Yeah. Bye, Katara.”

As he strolled away, she wondered why she was suddenly acting so stupid around him.


	21. Day twenty one: Aurora Borealis

“This is it?”

Zuko looked up to the sky, but saw nothing of interest.

“I think I already told you that it’s not always visible,” Katara said with an irritated tone in her voice. “Just help me set up the tent.”

“You’re not going to bend us an iglo?” But he walked towards her to help unpack.

“If I were to do that, why did we carry all this stuff up here?”

The tent was actually spacious and comfortable enough for the two of them. They unfolded their sleeping bags and isolation material, quietly working side by side. Zuko would never want Katara to do everything by herself - even though he knew she was used to it, probably had her own routines and rituals. But he was taught that humility is where true strength comes from - and since he understood what that meant, there was not a task too menial for him.

When they were done, Zuko made a fire outside the tent, while Katara went to catch some fish for dinner. They ate in silence.

“Do you wish the others were here?” He asked her.

She sighed, prodded the fire up with a metal poker they brought with them.

He kept looking at her, waiting for an answer.

“I think it’s a good thing we’re doing this together,” she said eventually.

“Do you want to talk about what happened with Aang?”

“Not really. He’s doing the right thing, I suppose. I guess we should have known that energybending didn’t come without consequences. The only thing that bothers me is whether he’ll be able to get it… out of him, if you know what I mean. You’ve seen what it did to him. And what that did to all of us. That’s not something the Avatar should be dealing with… But now I’m talking about it and I just said I didn’t want to.”

She took another bite of her roasted cod.

“It’s not your fault, Katara,” Zuko said.

“I know it’s not my fault!” she snapped. “I just don’t want to talk about it, okay?”

“You can’t always bury your emotions deep down inside you as if they don’t exist,” he replied.

“As if wearing them on your sleeve like you do is a better idea.” She put aside her finished meal and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

“At least I’m not pretending everything is okay even when it obviously isn’t,” he said.

“What do you mean, obviously?”

“Katara, even though everyone else is looking at you like some kind of mother figure, you never were one for me. And I can see that you’re going through a lot right now. You have to let it out. Repressing your feelings is going to blow up in your face.”

She huffed.

“I don’t have any feelings about this at all. Besides, you can’t make me. So you might as well stop trying.”

Zuko sighed and pushed away his own plate.

“Whatever you want.”

“Like you never suppress your emotions,” she said.

“I thought you just said I wear my heart on my sleeve.”

“Toph told me you’re hiding something. She didn’t want to tell me what it was.” She looked at him quizzically.

Zuko felt the heat rise to his cheeks. He could only hope that she wouldn’t notice it because of the fire.

“Toph is imagining things. She likes to mess with me. I’m not hiding anything.”

“Right,” Katara said. “That sounded like the lie it clearly is.”

When Zuko didn’t respond, she got up to do the dishes.

“Give me your plate, I’ll do it.” When he handed her his stuff, she locked eyes with him.

“Listen, whatever it is, you don’t have to tell me. It’s fine. But don’t push my buttons, either.”

Zuko gritted his teeth. There was no way he could talk himself out of this. If only Uncle were here.

“Fine,” he said. “You win. I won’t ask about it anymore.”

She looked relieved.

—–

“Zuko!”

It was the middle of the night, they had been fast asleep. But Katara was pulling on his shoulder, trying to get him to wake up.

He opened his eyes.

“Is something going on?”

“The Aurora!” she hissed.

He pushed back his sleeping bag.

Katara opened the front of the tent and they both opened their mouths when they looked outside.

The whole sky had come to life. Colors were dancing above them. Zuko saw green and red and purple, and somewhere even shades of blue.

“It’s beautiful,” he heard himself say. “Just like dragon fire.”

“I don’t think it’s fire, though,” Katara said without looking away from the miracle above them.

“What do you think it is?”

“Sokka probably has some scientific explanation I should believe,” she mused. “But sometimes the story is better than the truth. I like the idea of a huge arctic fox making waves when he slams his tail into the ground. I like the rituals that come with that.”

Zuko turned his eyes away from the sky to watch Katara. She looked especially gorgeous tonight. He wanted to tell her, but his tongue twisted and he had a coughing fit instead.

“You okay?” she asked as she moved closer to pat him on the back.

“I"m…great…” Zuko managed to get out between coughs.

Katara turned her gaze to the sky again.

“I wonder if, and when, they’re going to perform the ritual,” she said.

“If they’re able to do that at all. I think you need a waterbender for that. And unless we know of a waterbender who would side with a cause like theirs, I don’t think they’ll be able to find one.”

“All they need is some blackmail material,’ she answered. "If they captured you, they could blackmail me into opening the portal for them.”

“You would do that?”

“Not if my life depended on it,” she said. “But if they capture someone I care about… That’s a different story.”

“You care about me?”

“Only on Tuesdays.”

He laughed in spite of himself.


	22. Day twenty two: Blood moon

“What’s it going to be, missy? The _Fire Lord_ over here, or our spirit portal?”

The woman pushed Zuko in his back to make him fall on his knees. Two benders stood beside her, an earthbender and a firebender. One was keeping Zuko’s hands and feet bound together and covered by rocks, the other kept Katara at a safe distance.

Katara knew that behind her were two more benders, also earth and fire. She was outnumbered by far, and she didn’t even know what this fearsome woman was capable of. Judging from her behavior, she had a temper and viciousness to match Azula’s.

“I could just wait until the eclipse is over and free him myself.”

“But you’re not going to do that. If you haven’t opened the portal by the time the eclipse starts, we will kill little ZuZu over here and then come for you. You’re powerless. Give it up. Open the portal.”

Katara tried to catch Zuko’s eyes, but the firebender moved in between them.

“Don’t even try. Just open the portal. We know you know how to do it.”

Katara clenched her fists, turning around, looking everywhere to find an escape. But she didn’t have one. She looked at Zuko again. She bit her lip.

And she made a decision.

She flowed through the motions. Motions that she had practiced so many times in secret - or so she thought. Apparently, they had been watching her all along, luring them towards this place at this time. It was a set up. They had planned it all.

It made Katara’s blood boil, not just because of the injustice but because of her own foolishness. If it wasn’t for her, Zuko wouldn’t have been here. They wouldn’t have been able to use him as bait. She was angry at herself for predicting so many months ago what they would have to do to make this work and yet, she fell for it with eyes wide open. She let this happen. It was her fault.

But she was going to set it right. She didn’t know how yet, but she had to.

When she finished her first set, the sky above them changed color. The Aurora started moving, first slow, then faster, shaking and flickering. She started the next set of movements, performing them slowly, elegantly, as if she was putting on a show.

In reality, she hoped that slowing things down would buy her the necessary time to come up with a plan.

But eventually, this set came to an end as well, and she stopped to look at the fruits of her work. The Aurora had split in two, opening the sky straight above her. If she squinted, Katara thought she could see the spirit world on the other side.

“Thanks, missy. Your work here is done.”

The woman grinned an awful grin and before she knew it, Katara’s hands and feet were trapped in the same blocks that were holding Zuko.

Together, they were taken to a place below the earth. Katara threw her head in her neck when they brought her down. If this was going to be the last time she’d ever see the sky, she was going to make every second count.

——–

Even so many feet under ground, Katara felt that the eclipse had begun. She pictured the blood moon, high in the sky, looking down on these awful people and their awful plans.

Zuko and Katara had been here for a few hours now, or so she thought. They hadn’t said a word to each other.

“Are you mad at me?” she asked, finally, the question burning in her throat as soon as she spoke the words.

She heard Zuko sigh.

“You’re just like your brother. Always trying to do what’s right, even when you could get yourself killed in the process.”

“I like to think we would all do that,” she said. “You, Aang, Toph, Suki…”

“I’m not mad at you. I tried to be, for the last hour. But I can’t do it.”

Katara fell silent.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “For dragging you down here, leading us into this trap. For putting you in danger. For not being able to save you, or come up with an escape plan.”

For the first time in a while, Zuko moved his head to look at her.

“Katara, stop!”

He sounded genuinely angry.

“Stop apologizing for things that are not your fault. I came here because I wanted to. It’s not your responsibility to get us out of here.”

“Then why are you mad?”

“I’m not mad!” he shouted, little puffs of fire escaping from his mouth. He abruptly fell silent.

“Ok, I guess I _am_ mad. But not at you. I tried to be mad at you because you put yourself in danger by opening that spirit portal. You should have tried to escape.”

“Zuko, they would have killed you!”

“You were mad at me because I jumped in front of Azula’s lightning for you. You thought it was stupid. Now I wanted to be mad at you for doing this.”

“I thought it was stupid because I don’t want you dead,” she said, quietly.

“Well, I don’t want you dead either. And now we’re both dead.”

Zuko glanced at the ceiling but saw nothing but darkness.

“I would have never forgiven myself if I left you down here,” Katara whispered.

She felt the words push against the roof of her mouth, almost escaping the barrier of her front teeth. _I love you. I have always loved you._

But she managed to keep the words inside of her. There was no use, confessing this now. It would only lead to more sadness.

The door of their cell flung open.


	23. Day twenty three:  After the rain

Rain came down in sheets that day.

Zuko sat at his desk. There were always letters to write, reports to read.

But after Suki had left too, it had become eerily quiet in the Fire Nation palace.

And now the rain. It poured down so hard that it seemed almost night time.

Zuko put down his brush and got up. He walked up to the very edge of his window - actually a doorframe - and held onto the wall as he scanned the view. The palace gardens were soaked, the pond almost overflowing. The turtleducks were nowhere to be seen - Zuko could only hope they had found a safe place to hide from the water coming down from the sky.

Would his life always be like this from now on? Locked in this place. It was too unsafe to travel, lest he be killed. There was no one to keep him company. Everyone had other places to be, other people to see.

Yes, it was lonely at the top. He never realized this fully, but he understood why his uncle had preferred a different life.

He closed his eyes for a second, leaning his forehead against the woodwork. There was no way he was going to step down. This was his _destiny_ , however hard it may be.

Still, Zuko thought, it would be easier if he could share this with someone. Anyone.

Not _anyone_ , he said to himself. And he knew perfectly well who he was thinking about.

Katara was at the South Pole, working on her future. He was in no place to take her away from that. She wanted to be a force of good in the world, and helping a future generation of Southern waterbenders along was one of the best things that could happen.

He clasped his hands together in front of him. Thick drops hit the wooden floor of the porch, making a loud _tack_ sound every time another one hit the ground.

Would this storm ever come to an end?

Zuko sat down in his chair again, but he didn’t look at the papers in front of him. Instead, he tilted his head backwards, and gazed at the ceiling.

He knew that Iroh was on to him. Toph must have told him, he thought. The old man kept dropping hints about paying a visit to the South Pole, to see Hakoda and talk about the trade deal, Iroh said, but Zuko knew better.

He could continue to ignore all of this and choose to be miserable. He could also listen to his uncle for once and follow his heart.

Why am I so _bad_ at this?

He rose from his chair, paced his study up and down. Above him, he heard the rain had slowed, it was more of a steady drip than a stream now.

He loved Katara.

It was the first time he dared think the words in that order. And as soon as he thought it, he felt as if he was electrically charged.

He loved her, he said to himself again. And he had loved her for a very long time.

_Now what?_

Zuko groaned, grabbing his hair with his hands. Whatever he wanted, it would be impossible. First of all, Katara would never feel the same way about him. Second, it was one thing to admit feelings. Dealing with the political difficulties of navigating such a Water Tribe - Fire Nation relationship was quite another. And then there was the fact that she was the chief’s daughter and he was the Fire Lord. People would expect him to marry someday. And to a girl from the Southern Water Tribe? He could picture the disappointment on the faces of his council already.

But that would be nothing, if he really liked her.

And he did like her. Really, liked her. Loved her. Her voice, the way her nose crinkled when she was angry. The look in her eyes when she was excited. Her stubbornness, her eager to do the right thing, to change the world. Her will to live, her ability to see the beauty in every thing and every person.

She was everything Zuko couldn’t be and more. Yet at the same time, they had so much in common. Their temper, their tendency towards running into action without thinking. Their moral compass, their passion for their people. Their maturity beyond their years. Their mothers. Their bad sense of humor, even.

Zuko laughed quietly.

Outside, the rain was reduced to a light shower. The sun already broke through the clouds, lighting up patches of grass. Somewhere in the distance, Zuko spotted a rainbow.

Would he dare to tell her how he felt?

He stood to lose everything. Their friendship, his friendship with Sokka, with Aang - with all of them. He would be taking a huge risk. And for what? For a crush that he couldn’t get out of his head, no matter how hard he tried.

But could it be worth it?

Zuko stepped outside, onto the part of the porch that still had a roof. He took a deep breath. The cool air, mixed with the scent of grass after rain, filled his head.

If this wasn’t worth it, he thought, he didn’t know what would ever be.

The rain stopped.

He would go to the South Pole. And tell her.


	24. Chapter twenty four: You're in love with him/her

“You know he’s in love with you, right?”

Suki and Katara were standing on one of the balconies surrounding the palace courtyard. Below them, masses of people were celebrating Zuko’s birthday, just like they had been doing a few minutes ago. But after Katara had returned from her dance with Zuko, Suki had grabbed her arm and taken her aside.

Now they were here, the air heavy with the scent of roses. Katara was still wearing the cape that belonged to Zuko.

“What are you talking about?” She rearranged the clasp so that it wouldn’t press on her throat as much. It was a delicate piece of clothing, with golden embroidery on a burgundy piece of silk. It was beautiful, Katara thought.

Suki sighed and rolled her eyes.

“Zuko. Loves. You.,” she repeated. “Like, desperately.”

“I don’t think that’s true at all. He is heartbroken over Mai’s departure. I could see it in his eyes when I went to talk to him earlier tonight.”

“Those two things are not mutually exclusive. And did you ever think about the fact that maybe, part of the reason why Mai broke up with him is because she, too, noticed that he was in love with someone else?”

“How do you know all this, anyway?” Katara asked. “Did he tell you?”

“Well… No, not really,” Suki admitted. “But I swear it’s true. I just know it.”

“How?” Katara persisted. She rested her arms on the railing and sloshed her drink around in its cup.

“I’ve seen him look at you.”

“That’s not very convincing,” Katara said and snickered.

“He also couldn’t stop talking about you,” Suki said. “And he became really silent when you left for the South Pole.”

“He told me that he was going to miss me,” Katara said and shook out her hair, waving through the strands with her fingers. “But that was months ago. I’m sure he’s over _that_ by now.”

“Suki is right, Katara. Our favorite firebender has a massive crush on you, and that’s putting it mildly.”

Both of them turned around and saw Toph emerging from the shadows.

“How long have you been standing there?” Katara asked and raised an eyebrow.

“Long enough to hear what you were talking about.” Toph got up to them and rested her back against the balcony railing. She had grown in the past year, but she still wasn’t quite as tall as Katara and Suki.

Suki crossed her arms in front of her chest.

“See, Toph says it too.”

“And I know when people lie,” the earthbender added. “Such as when you said you never had a crush on Haru.”

Katara blushed.

“Well, that was over as soon as I saw the mustache,” she mumbled.

Suki looked down and found Zuko in the crowd. He was surrounded by Fire Nation girls who all squealed and touched his arms and cheeks and hair. He looked frightened.

Katara followed Suki’s gaze and chuckled.

“Poor Zuko.”

She straightened her dress and finished her drink.

“Look, guys, I appreciate you telling me this. But we’re just friends. Besides, we hardly ever talk anymore.”

Toph smacked her finger against Katara’s arm.

“Just don’t go around breaking his heart by doing something stupid. You’ve been warned now.”

“I still think you’re wrong,” said Katara. “I’m not his type. But thanks for the warning, I guess.”

Suki raised her eyebrows.

“So… How do you feel about him?”

“We’re friends!” Katara exclaimed. “That’s all there is to it. Gee, why does everyone want me dating someone so badly?”

“Katara, I can feel it when you’re lying,” said Toph.

“I’m. Not. Lying! Look, I like Zuko a lot. We get along great. He really understands me and he’s always there for me. He’s a good friend. I don’t want to lose that friendship. So please, stop talking about him being in love with me. That just complicates things, and I’m so done with complicated.”

“It doesn’t have to be complicated,” said Suki. “Look at Sokka and me. We’re doing just fine.”

“My brother is great, but he’s not the Fire Lord of the Fire Nation, the former sworn enemy of our tribe,” said Katara. “That relationship would be all kinds of complicated. Just thinking about it gives me a headache.”

“Or butterflies?” Toph teased. Katara punched her on the arm.

“Enough. I want to focus on myself for a change. All my life, I’ve been playing the part other people wanted me to play. I’m not going to be the Avatar’s wife and I’m not going to be the Fire Lord’s wife, either.”

“Who said anything about marriage? I’m just trying to get you to admit your own feelings,” Suki said.

“Oh, so now you know what I’m feeling, too? You both have quite the nerve. I’m going downstairs, trying to find someone to talk to who isn’t obsessed with my love life.”

As Katara stormed off, Toph and Suki sighed simultaneously.

“They would be perfect for each other,” said Toph.

“I know.”

“Maybe we should ask Iroh for help.”

“I’m sure _he_ knows how Zuko is feeling. Although I can’t imagine being wrong,” said Suki pensively.

“Trust me, you’re not wrong.” Toph clasped her hands together. “I tried to get Zuko to admit his feelings for Katara for a really long time. Actually, I’m surprised Katara hasn’t noticed yet. It’s written across his face.”

“Maybe it’s a Water Tribe thing,” mused Suki. “Sokka hasn’t said anything about it either and I’m sure he’d want to know if someone was in love with his sister.”

“Sokka also didn’t notice Aang was in love with Katara and that was the most obvious thing that ever obvioused,” countered Toph. “Then again, it took Katara forever to get in on that too, and that was just because Aang literally made a move on her.”

“Zuko is definitely not going to do that,” agreed Suki. “I think he’d sooner set Ozai free than kiss Katara.”

“That’s probably a good thing. I remember Katara wasn’t amused with Aang’s shenanigans.”

“We’re all fools in love - not many people dare to fall in love without proper encouragement,” said Suki. “If Zuko doesn’t do anything and Katara just sticks her head in the sand, nothing will happen.”

“Leave that to Iroh. He’ll know what to do.”

“Are we sure about this?” Suki looked out over the courtyard again. “They’re two of my best friends. If this goes wrong, who knows what will happen.”

“Suki, they’re literally already in love with each other. Katara is in denial, and Zuko is just…being Zuko, but this _will_ work. Besides, I wouldn’t wish either of them on someone else.”

“I guess you’re right.” Suki nodded. “Will you talk to Iroh?”

“I’m drinking tea with the old man tomorrow. I’m sure he’ll have picked up on this as well. I’ll let you know how it goes.”

The two friends slowly made their way down the stairs and mingled with the crowd again. Above them, the sky turned a pinkish grey.


	25. Day twenty five: Forced to share a (hotel) room

“I’m sorry, Katara. Zuko can’t stay with Sokka because Suki is already there. Would you mind if he stays in your rooms?”

Hakoda looked apologetically at his daughter.

“W…What?” Katara felt her cheeks burn. “Are you sure? I mean, couldn’t he stay in one of your rooms?”

“I’m afraid my rooms aren’t exactly suitable for guests,” Hakoda said. “Unless you think it’s a good idea to let Zuko sleep in our meeting room. And he can’t stay with one of the warriors, he’s _our_ guest so we have to host him. It’s only for a couple of nights. I thought you were all very close? And it never bothered you when Aang stayed over.”

“Yeah, but… That was different,” Katara stammered.

Hakoda raised an eyebrow. “How so?”

“Nevermind,” she said quickly. "Fine. Zuko can stay with me. But can we put an extra bed in the room?”

“I’m sure that can be arranged,” nodded Hakoda. “I’ll see to it. Don’t worry about it. Just go enjoy your birthday party.”

Katara wandered outside, turned a corner to find Suki and Sokka, intimately entangled. She coughed.

“Guys. I’m right here.”

“Sis! We didn’t see you there,” Sokka said with a lazy smile as he stopped kissing Suki to look at Katara.

She rolled her eyes.

“Where’s Zuko? He’s staying in my room. I need to show him where to put his stuff.”

Suki turned her head and grinned at Katara, who shot her a warning look.

“Don’t look at me like that,” she hissed through her teeth.

Suki just shrugged. “I think I saw Zuko in the main hall,” she said. “But that was a while ago. Who knows where he is now.”

“Thanks, I’ll find him,” Katara said stiffly.

With the eclipse almost completely over, she could feel her bending returning to her like spring tide to a bay. She stretched her arms above her as she walked.

“Is that a new bending move?”

“Zuko!”

She turned around. He was tall, she noticed. Taller than she remembered. His hair was also longer, it reached below his chin now. It looked good on him.

“Are you going to grow your hair out?” She asked.

He seemed surprised by the sudden turn of the conversation.

“I might,” he said. “Mai didn’t like it very much.”

“I like it,” she said.

He smiled.

Katara snapped back into remembering why she was looking for him.

“Where did you put your stuff? I’m going to take you to your room.”

“It’s right here. I grabbed it before I ran into you.”

“Good. Come on, follow me.” Katara felt her heart beating fast in her chest as she beckoned him to come with her.

“Where is my room?” Zuko asked as they made their way to the sleeping quarters.

“In my room,” she said curtly.

“Oh.” He was silent for a second. “Are you okay with that?”

“What? Sure! Of course! I mean, it’s not like there’s a problem, right? Do you have a problem with it?”

“No, of course not,” Zuko said hastily. “I just thought, if it bothers you…”

“It doesn’t bother me at all,” Katara said decidedly. She could feel her whole body tinge with anxiety.

“Here we are.” She opened the door to her sleeping quarters. She had two rooms, a main bedroom and a small annex where she put her clothing and stuff. She saw that no one had put up the extra bed yet.

“Agni, they were supposed to put an extra bed in here for you to sleep in. Given the time, I’m guessing they won’t do that before tomorrow.”

“I can sleep on the floor,” Zuko said. “No problem. I’ve done it before.”

“Trust me, you don’t want to sleep on this floor. You’ll freeze to death. No, you can sleep in my bed.”

“Where are you going to sleep?” Zuko asked with a quizzical look on his face.

“Also in my bed.” Katara hoped that he didn’t notice the tremble in her voice.

“Oh.”

“That’s ok, right?”

“Sure. No problem. We’ll figure it out.”

“Yeah, we will.”

Zuko’s dropped his bags on the ground.

“Are you going back to the party?”

“I mean, it is my birthday party,” she said and smiled. “It’s kind of expected that I stay until the end.”

“Right. Of course.” He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. “Would you mind if I go to bed already? I’m really tired.”

“Yeah, go ahead. I’ll join you later.”

At least he wouldn’t have to pretend not to see her change, she thought, a little relieved.

—-

Much, much later, when the dark of the night started to mix with the first light of the morning, Katara found her way back into her bedroom.

Her head was filled with a pleasant buzz, her arms and legs were heavy. She struggled to undress herself in the dark, thought about turning on a light before she remembered there was already someone asleep in her bed.

She giggled, softly, as she reached for the furs she slept under. Slowly, quietly, she slid under the covers, letting the heat embrace her.

Immediately, she noticed a different kind of heat. The body heat of the boy next to her, who already smelled like sleep. Katara leaned in closer, pressing one cool hand on the bare skin of his back.

Zuko groaned, but didn’t wake up.

Katara moved her hand up, towards his shoulders, marveling about the softness of his skin under her fingers. She was wearing her sleeping gown, which made her a little warmer, but she still felt cold. Her drunk mind had the luminous idea to press her body against Zuko, soaking up his heat.

She could feel him move under her hands. He turned around, barely able to keep his eyes open.

“Katara?”

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly, moving away from him. She slid back to her own side of the bed. “I was cold. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

He opened his eyes a little wider now.

“I don’t mind,” he whispered, and turned around again.

“I’ll just…”

Katara turned around as well, moving backwards until her body found his. Zuko was now comfortably heating her spine.

“Okay like this?” she asked.

“Yeah,” she thought she heard him say, but he must have been really tired still, because only seconds later she felt his breathing rhythm slow down.

Katara closed her eyes. It felt as if someone was shaking her head. It didn’t make her nauseous, but her heart was beating really fast and her mouth was dry.

She found Zuko’s breathing vibrating against her own body and she matched her breathing to his. It calmed her down, slowed the dizziness.

When she finally fell asleep, the sun had already started its climb in the polar sky.


	26. Day twenty six: Rainstorm

She watched as the downpour continued to turn her beloved South Pole into a desolate wasteland. She had known the storm was coming, but it had surprised her nonetheless: the ferocity of it, the sheer force of nature beating down upon their small piece of land.

It was not just rain, she saw as the drops started hitting the ground with audible _thuds_. It was hail, too, and snow, probably, later. At some point, every and all precipitation in the Southern Water Tribe would turn to snow.

“Imagine being out there in this weather,” she heard a voice next to her say. She didn’t move to look her company in the eye. Instead, she wrapped her arms around herself, trying to capture her own warmth and save it for later.

“How are you doing?”

From the corner of her eye, a person moved into view. Even though Katara could only see his shadow, she knew who it was.

“I’m okay.”

“You don’t sound okay.”

“I don’t remember asking you for a therapy session.”

She was being unduly brusque and rude, she knew it, but she couldn’t help herself. Part of her wanted to throw her arms around him and beg him to stay close to her. But another part, a part that so far had been louder, told every fiber of her being to keep her distance.

_Don’t let him get too close to you, you know it can only end one way. Don’t feel too much. You’ll lose everyone you ever loved. It’s only a matter of time._

When she exhaled, she saw her own breath escape from her mouth like a puff of smoke.

“I just thought you might appreciate some company,” he said with a hushed voice.

Meanwhile, the rain continued beating down on the ice. She could go out there, they both knew it. She could even invite him along, her bending would keep both of them dry.

But for some reason, Katara didn’t think it wise to go out today.

“It was raining just like this in the Fire Nation, before I left,” Zuko said.

Katara said nothing. She had no idea where he was going with this story.

He cleared his throat, shifted his weight from one leg to the other. Katara looked as his hands, holding his mittens, fumbling with the loose threads of the embroidery on them.

“The storm that day… It made me realize something.” He paused, she noticed the color on his cheeks.

“It made me realize that…”

“Katara! Zuko!”

The waterbender and the Fire Lord turned their heads. Sokka came running down the hallway, waving his hands.

Katara glanced at Zuko, but he didn’t look like he was going to finish that sentence anymore.

“We’re going ice dodging,” Sokka said, slightly out of breath.

“In this weather?” Zuko asked incredulously.

“That’s why we need you guys. Katara can shield us from the rain and Zuko can keep us warm.”

Sokka smiled, clearly content with the plan he had come up with.

Katara let out a sigh. “You always know how to use everyone else’s skills to serve your best interests,” she said, but she couldn’t supress her smile. She loved her brother especially because he always had these goofy ideas.

“Are you in?” Her eyes wandered over to Zuko, who pinched the bridge of his nose.

“I can’t say no to the two of you, you would kill me,” he said.

“Damn straight we would,” Sokka said as he slapped his hand on the back of his friend. “Now, do you know what ice dodging is?”

As Sokka led Zuko away from her, Katara trailed behind them, taking up a slower pace not to interfere with the conversation. It gave her an excuse to observe, take in the scenery in front of her.

Her brother, the warrior and future chief of their tribe. He had become taller, more muscular, more tan because of all the time spent outside. He was thriving here, this was his home. Hakoda had been wise enough to give Sokka free rein in exploring his crazy ideas, many of which actually weren’t half bad when put into practice.

And then the other guy, her friend, the person she trusted most with all her secrets. That was, until now. Now, he felt like a stranger, someone she couldn’t reach. He was so distant with her, so overly polite and friendly. Almost as if he wanted to emphasize that he was the Fire Lord and she was still just a chief’s daughter.

But the worst part of it all was probably that Katara had had to admit to herself that seeing Zuko, being around Zuko, made her blood rush and her cheeks go red. That she was losing sleep over thinking about him, replaying every conversation they had since his arrival in her head until she had examined every word, every gesture, every sigh.

She hadn’t told Suki, because she knew what her friend was going to say. Or worse, the look on her face - Katara could picture the smug grin, the raised eyebrows, the arms crossed in front of her chest, all to say: didn’t I tell you? Wasn’t I right all along?

And Katara would have to admit that indeed, she had been right. There was no denying it anymore, especially not because _she_ had lost her footing around Zuko, lost her quips and dry humor and playful conversations. She was the epitome of awkward now, trying to forget about her feelings and exacerbating them in the process.

She would lose her train of thought when she looked at him for too long. Every time he so much as touched her, she felt an electric shock sent up all the way up her spine into her brain.

Katara was furious with herself. This was much worse than her crush on Jet or anyone else she ever thought she liked. It consumed her. It made it impossible to work, or focus. She had lost her appetite and seemed to function on willpower alone.

It didn’t help that he was still sleeping in her bedroom.

Part of her wanted him gone, back to the Fire Nation, never to be seen again.

And yet, part of her wanted him to stay forever.


	27. Day twenty seven:  Heartbeat

“You look like you could use some tea.”

He didn’t protest as his uncle got up to brew fresh tea. The shop was already closed, the last light of the day lingering on the empty tables. He saw his own shadow, stretched out before him on the stone floor.

“Come, sit.” Iroh pulled a chair closer and patted his hand on the seating. “Tell me what’s on your mind.”

Zuko sat down and groaned, hiding his face in the palms of his hands. He reached in his hair to pluck the Fire Crown out of his top knot, which he quickly undid. His hair fell down, tickling his chin.

“I can’t sleep. All of these responsibilities… they’re weighing on me. I can’t make a left turn in the palace without having to sign another decree, read another report, calm another concerned governor. On top of that, the Ozai Society is wreaking havoc around the country. Organizing riots, protests… At least the economy is improving. That’s something, right?”

He removed his hands from his face, revealing bloodshot eyes and a pale complexion.

“Here, drink.” Iroh placed a cup in front of him. The liquid was steaming hot. Zuko wrapped his hands around it, taking comfort in the warmth that spread pleasantly through his fingers.

Iroh sat down, took a sip of his own cup, folded his hands and placed them on the table.

“Leading a nation is hard, my dear nephew. I made the mistake of thinking you would be able to handle all it by yourself when I left for Ba Sing Se. I thought peace had returned to the Fire Nation as well, but I was wrong. But we can learn from our mistakes.”

“What mistakes am I making?” Zuko asked sourly.

“I think the only mistake you’re making is not giving yourself some rest,” Iroh said and sent his nephew a smile. “You’re working so hard, trying to do everything right at once. You forget to eat, to live. You can’t sleep because you’re always on, always thinking about the next thing on your list.”

“It’s not like I have anyone to spend time with,” Zuko said. “Mai left. Toph is running some underground spy network. Aang is traveling the world. Sokka is learning to be chief of his tribe. Suki spends all her free time with Sokka.”

“Aren’t you forgetting someone?” his uncle asked pleasantly.

“Oh, you mean Katara.” He paused, thought about what to say that would make it sound as if he didn’t think about her every day. “Yeah, she’s in the South Pole too. Working on her bending school, I guess,” he said and gestured vaguely.

“It has come to my attention,” Iroh said as he poured himself some more tea, “that you seem to take an interest in the wellbeing of our waterbending master.”

Zuko frowned. “What do you mean, Uncle? Of course I care about how Katara is doing. She’s my friend.”

“That’s right,” Iroh said, as if he only just remembered that fact. Zuko didn’t trust it one bit - his uncle was up to something.

“Toph was here, the day after your birthday.”

Zuko wondered why it mattered. His birthday was weeks ago. Unless…

“She told me about her unique ability to feel heartbeats with her bending. She said it helped her determine whether people were telling the truth.”

Zuko kept silent.

Iroh stretched his legs under the table, took another sip of his tea.

“Your tea is getting cold, Nephew.”

“It’s not,” Zuko mumbled, and he put the cup to his lips. As he expected, the tea was still scalding hot, burning his tongue.

“Toph said that she had the idea that you like Katara more than just as a friend.”

Ah, so _that_ was what all this was about. Toph had enlisted Uncle in her scheme to get him to confess his feelings to Katara. Well, he was having none of it.

Zuko pushed back his chair and got up.

“Thanks for the tea, Uncle,” he said and started to move towards the door.

“Wait! Zuko!”

“Uncle, I’m not going to listen to you blabbering about the meaning of true love. Besides, Toph is wrong. I’m not in love with Katara. Please, leave me alone.”

He stepped outside and was already halfway down the street when he realized he had left his crown inside. Which meant he’d have to go back.

He bit his lip in frustration.

——

When he entered the shop again, Iroh was nowhere to be seen. The old man had left the cups of tea, as well as his crown, on the table. Zuko sneaked inside and reached out his hand for the crown.

“When I was your age, my father had already made up his mind about who I was to marry.”

Zuko jerked his head upwards. Iroh was in the kitchen, his back to Zuko, quietly washing dishes.

“Did you love her?” He couldn’t help himself but be somewhat interested in this story.

“I didn’t meet her until our wedding day,” Iroh said, still not looking at him. “She was beautiful, and very kind. We were a good match. My father had made the right decision.”

“But did you love her?”

Finally, Iroh turned around. His eyes were soft, and a little sad.

“I didn’t love her immediately, but over time, we grew very close. Unfortunately, she left this world while she delivered our son.”

Zuko shivered. When he grew up, it had always been Uncle Iroh and Lu-Ten. He never had an aunt, and he never asked for one. He felt shameful now, not asking his uncle about her sooner. He lowered his eyes.

“Zuko, the past is not something we can change. Neither is the future. The only thing we have any control over, is ourselves, how we view the world, and how we treat the people around us.”

Iroh dried his hands and made his way over towards Zuko. He put his hand on Zuko’s shoulder, and let it rest there, warm and heavy.

“I know I’m an old man and you probably think I know nothing about what you’re feeling. And maybe I don’t. But I know that you and Katara share a special bond. More than anyone else, she forced you to grow up, to become the man I always knew you could be. And when you jumped in front of that lightning for her -”

Iroh paused, looked at Zuko with a meaningful expression, one that Zuko couldn’t entirely place.

“I would have done that for anyone,” he mumbled.

“I know.”

Silence came over them, enveloping them like a blanket. Outside, the night made its entrance.

“All I’m saying is, dear Nephew, that even though you may not wish to look inside your heart, you shouldn’t be afraid to do so. What you find there may be more valuable than anything else you’re currently worrying about.”

“That’s… I don’t understand that at all, Uncle.”

Iroh sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose the same way Zuko often did.

“Zuko, you’re not the kind of person who deals with their emotions in a _delicate_ manner. Toph didn’t need to tell me about your feelings for Katara, because they were already clear as day to me. Yet I see you’re continuing to suppress them, pretend as if they don’t exist. And you’re suffering because of it, more than you may realize. All I’m wondering is - why?”

Zuko closed his eyes, trying to forget about his heartbeat, the lump in his throat, the rising hairs on his arms.

“Uncle, it’s a stupid idea. She’s a girl from the Southern Water Tribe, a place the Fire Nation has attacked viciously and ruthlessly. I’m the face of that nation, the very person her people always had every reason to hate. Besides, my own people won’t be so happy about it either. My council is already presenting all their eligible daughters to me, pressing me to choose. Produce an _heir_.” He almost spit out the words.

“But most importantly, it will never work because Katara doesn’t feel that way about me,” he concluded.

“I wouldn’t be too sure about that,” his uncle said, waving his finger. “As usual, you are not paying enough attention to your surroundings.”

“Uncle, it’s hopeless. Forget about it. I know I’m trying to.”

“Ah, so that’s what’s bothering you! You’re once again trying to pretend a side of yourself doesn’t exist. My dear Nephew, I thought your experience in Ba Sing Se taught you a few things. You were born to unite evil and good within you. You can’t do that if you’re actively denying the existence of your thoughts and feelings. They’re part of you, Zuko. Embrace them.”

“And be miserable? Thanks, I’ll pass.”

“You can hardly be more miserable than you are now.”

“That’s just rude, Uncle.”

Zuko touched his cup, noticed his tea was cold, heated it up ever so slightly with his bending and drank the remaining liquid in one big gulp.

“I’m really going now. It’s getting late.” He got up, grabbed his crown and held it in his hand. Iroh reached for him, grabbed him by the wrist.

“My dear boy, you’re still young. Listen to this old man and don’t negate your feelings. They’re worthy of your attention.”

He wrestled himself free and left without saying goodbye.


	28. Day twenty eight: Ancient

The cave was covered in drawings.

They carefully made their way through, dressed in what Katara had come to call their spy outfits: the familiar black garments, only this time they’d added a thick coat, because it _was_ the South Pole, after all.

“Are you sure this is the place?” He asked, his voice hushed.

“Yes. It must be here. The writings were quite clear. When we get to the center, there’ll be a room without a ceiling. You’re supposed to be able to see the entire sky.”

Katara touched the walls of the cave with her fingers, letting them glide along with her as she walked.

Zuko looked behind him and saw nothing but darkness. He held a flame in his hand, barely big enough to light the path in front of them.

“What if they’re following us?”

“We can take them on. We’re a waterbending master and the Fire Lord.”

Zuko thought about the time he said something similar to Aang, and how wrong he had been then. He wasn’t comfortable at all.

But Katara kept moving, and even though they couldn’t see where they were headed, they felt the angle of the ground shift under their feet and noticed they must be moving up.

They had entered the cave from under water, as only waterbenders were supposed to even make it in here. Katara had provided protection so both of them could breathe, and found the cave entrance with ease.

The Southern Water Tribe didn’t have temples such as the Fire Nation and the Air Nomads did, but this came close. The cave was sealed off, Katara had to use her wit and ingenuity to open it. Zuko still didn’t completely understand how she was able go solve the puzzle, but here they were, alive, and with dry feet.

“Can you extinguish that flame of yours?” she asked, sounding unnecessarily prickly.

“Why?”

“Just do it.”

Zuko closed his palm and the darkness enclosed them immediately.

“Look. Over there.”

He was about to make a snarky comment about how it was impossible to know where “over there” was if he couldn’t see a thing, but suddenly, he _could_ see something. A faint light, almost indiscernible, but it was there.

“How did you know?”

“Something about this cave made me remember another cave I was in, a long time ago. The Cave of Two Lovers. Have you heard of it?”

Zuko shook his head but realized she probably wouldn’t see that.

“No, I don’t think so,” he replied instead.

He heard her sigh.

“I can’t believe you’re supposed to be a member of the nobility and yet you know absolutely nothing about anything other than Fire Nation culture. Didn’t they teach you anything in school?”

“Did they teach _you_ anything in school?” He said, unable to hide is irritation.

“We didn’t _have_ a school, Zuko. It was wartime, remember. We barely had anything.”

“Right. Sorry.”

“No, I should apologize. Things were different for you as well.”

“It’s never too late to learn. Tell me about the Cave of Two Lovers.”

They had stopped walking. Zuko felt Katara’s warmth beside him, her voice hovered somewhere around his ear. She must be close, he realized, and involuntarily, the hairs on the back of his arms raised.

“So, it’s a story of two lovers, divided by a mountain. Their countries were at war, but it didn’t stop their love. They created the cave and its labyrinth and made it so that you had to trust in the power of love to get to the exit. Otherwise, you’d be lost forever.”

“And what was this power of love?” Zuko was sceptical.

“I thought it was a kiss, but it turned you had to extinguish all your light, and the crystals in the cave would glow and lead the way.”

“Did you kiss anyone?” He didn’t even know why he asked this.

“Yeah. I was with Aang and we kissed, briefly.” She didn’t sound like she wanted to say much more about it.

“Oh.”

They were both silent.

“Let’s go,” Katara said at last. “I think we’re getting closer.”

When they reached the light source, Zuko realized it wasn’t a glowing crystal, but something else. A gemstone.

“It’s a topaz,” he whispered. “They come in all different kinds of colors.”

“Look, there’s more over there.”

He looked up and saw that the tunnel in front of them was littered with those gemstones. Their colors ranged from bright orange to a deep purple, creating the effect of a sunset, right in the middle of the cave.

“It’s beautiful,” both of them said at the same time.

“This must be ancient,” Katara said. “I wonder whether these were placed here or if it’s a natural phenomenon.”

“It doesn’t look man made to me,” Zuko said pensively as he grazed his fingertips over the edges of the gems. They were warmer than he thought they would be, and felt _alive_ somehow. It reminded him of the Sun Stone of the Sun Warriors.

In the light of the tunnel he could make out Katara’s silhouette, slowly moving forward. He reached for her arm, brushed his fingers against hers.

“Whoa. You scared me there.”

“Sorry. I just…” He didn’t know what to say. “I just wanted to make sure you were still there.”

“Well, I am,” she said. “Shall we? I know this is beautiful but we have no time to waste.”

They walked on, a little brisker now that they could see something. The tunnel took a left turn and then forked into two tunnels.

“Now what?”

“You take the left one, I take the right,” he said.

“Okay.”

It was only after ten minutes of walking by himself that he realized this probably had not been a good idea. What if he found something? He couldn’t call out for her. Or if something happened to her. Or him.

He was about to turn around when something moved in front of him. Zuko jumped back, ignited two spheres of flames in his hands.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” a deep voice came from the dark.

“Who are you?”

“Doesn’t matter. What does matter however is that if you try to attack, my helpers will knock you out before you know it. So why don’t you play nice?”

Zuko didn’t respond. Instead, he pushed his fist forward in the direction of the voice, sending a blast of flames along with him.

“Now, now. So much aggression. I told you that if you try to attack, I would have you captured. But don’t worry, we already have your girlfriend.”

“She’s not my–”

Before he could finish his sentence, something heavy landed on his head. As the black on the edge of his vision slowly closed in on him, he faintly smelled blood.


	29. Day twenty nine: Crown

"Zuko, if this isn't your crown, whose is it?"

Katara pointed to the glass case in the center of the library. It contained a delicate piece of silk, upon which a single crown was placed.

Zuko recognized it immediately.

"That's my mom's," he said. "I mean, it used to be my mom's."

"You mean when she was still living with you in the palace?"

"Yeah." He didn't really know what to tell her. This was not a subject he enjoyed talking about.

"Do you want to tell me about your mom?"

He glanced at Katara. She was smiling, encouraging him with her eyes.

He cleared his throat.

"Uh, sure. So, I'm afraid I don't know much about her life when she was younger, but I know my parents got married pretty young. Azulon arranged the marriage, just like he did with my uncle. Ursa - did I tell you her name is Ursa? - was not expected to become Fire Lady, so their wedding was a little different too. A little less formal, I guess."

"So that's what a female leader of the Fire Nation is called?"

"I mean, not really. Remember when we fought Azula? If she would have been crowned, she would have been Fire Lord Azula. We just never had a female Fire Lord before, so the wives of the Fire Lord are called Fire Lady."

Katara had a puzzled look on her face. "But what if Azula became Fire Lord and married? Would he have been called Fire Lord as well?"

"Probably not." Zuko chuckled in spite of the fact that the thought of Fire Lord Azula frightened him beyond reproach. "I guess they would have had to come up with a new name."

"Awfully complicated," Katara said. "In the Southern Water Tribe, you're either chief, or chief's partner, or nothing." Her face darkened. "Not that _we_ ever had a female chief. I guess people would laugh at the idea. At least your sister would have been able to become Fire Lord without any trouble."

"We definitely gave her some trouble," Zuko said. He permitted himself to squeeze Katara's upper arm lightly. She beamed a smile back at him.

"We sure did. But continue, about your mom."

"Oh, right. So, they married, and not long after, I was born. And then Azula, about one and a half year later. You know, I loved having a baby sister. I thought Azula was so sweet, and small, and I just wanted to play with her. But when we grew older, my father started paying attention to her more and kind of... changed her."

Katara placed her hand on his arm.

"I know Azula is a handful. But I'm sure she can change, just like you did. She's not lost, you know."

"Yeah... I'm not so sure. But nevermind."

Katara looked at the crown again.

"Can I try it on?"

"Uh, that's not really supposed to..."

But she already unhooked the top and reached into the cassette. The crown reflected the dim lights of the library, giving it a warm glow.

"How do I put this on?" Katara stuck out her tongue as she tried to pin the crown into her hair.

Zuko wrapped his hands around hers and gently took the crown from her.

"Look, Karara, I appreciate your interest in my culture. But this is...personal. I'd rather keep it in here, if you don't mind."

"Oh." Her cheeks colored. "Yes, of course. I mean, I'm sorry. That was insensitive."

"You can try my crown if you want," he offered. Before she could say anything, he reached into his top knot and plucked the crown away. He put it in Katara's open palms.

"I still don't know how to put it in my hair," she pointed out.

"Right. Let me help with that..." He stepped around her until he stood behind her, then carefully grabbed her hair. Without saying anything, he made a top knot not unlike his own, with fingers that over the years had grown accustomed to the motions. He tied it together with the ribbon that had already been in her hair, and placed the crown in the center.

"Whoa. That's heavy!" she exclaimed.

He chuckled. "I know how you feel. That's exactly what I thought after one week of wearing it. But you get used to it."

"How do I look?" Katara turned her face around to look him in the eyes. He fell silent as he studied her.

"What?" She searched his face with uncertain eyes. "Is it weird? I'm sure it's weird. Let me take it off."

She already reached into her hair, but he stopped her.

"That's not it at all." He swallowed, licked his dry lips.

"I was just... You remind me of my mom," he mumbled eventually.

"Oh Zuko, I'm sorry," she lowered her eyes, turned her head away.

"No... I actually like it. It looks good on you." He traced the edges of her face again with his eyes. Her olive skin, which had darkened even more because of the sun. Her dark brown hair - that top knot looked good on her. And the crown... Zuko thought he had never seen it shine so beautifully.

"It does?" She darted away. "I need to see it." Eventually, she found a mirror. She gasped, brought a hand to her face.

"What's wrong?"

"I almost didn't recognize myself."

"But do you like it?"

He went to stand beside her, and they stared at each other through the mirror. He pulled his own ribbon out of his hair, letting it fall down. It was growing longer every day.

"Look at us, just like we're a couple!" Katara laughed.

"Heh, yeah." He averted his eyes.

"Come on, don't be offended. I'm sure Mai is dying to wear that crown."

"Actually, I don't think she is. Mai probably would hate being Fire Lady more than anything in the world."

"Why?"

"Because it's not just a title, but you also kind of need to do charity work and meet people. My father didn't allow my mother in the war room but there have been Fire Ladies who were actively involved in the politics of the Fire Nation. Some say they were more powerful than their husbands."

"I'm not surprised," said Katara. She gave the mirror one final look, then grabbed the crown and gave it back to Zuko.

"Here. Thanks for letting me borrow it. And I'm sorry I took your mother's crown, I shouldn't have."

"Don't worry about it," he said and smiled. "You'd make a good Fire Lady."

"Well, if Mai ever needs a stand in, she can write me."


	30. Day two: Winter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zutara Month 2020 pt. 2

He found her sitting on the wall that surrounded her village, her head buried deep in the hood of her parka. She didn’t seem to hear him, so he raised himself on the block of ice, trying to keep his teeth from chattering.

“I don’t want to hear it,” Katara said, sounding bitter.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I’ll just go-”

“Zuko!”

He was already halfway down the wall, his foot on the ground. She held his gaze with her eyes, their blue color enhanced by the ice around them. The wind played with her hair, and he noticed her lips were cracked a little.

“I thought you were someone else.”

He nodded, his foot still on the ground. When she stormed out, he had gotten up immediately to go after her. Not because he wanted to bring her back, or give her a talking to. He just thought he recognized something in her.

“You can come sit, if you want.” Her face was turned towards the glacier again, her words barely audible through the harsh wind.

“I don’t understand myself,” she burst out when he sat down beside her. “It’s like I can’t control my emotions anymore. Everything is supposed to be alright, isn’t it? We’re supposed to be happy. I’m supposed to be happy. But I’m not.”

Zuko sighed. It was as if he heard himself talking, on the beach in Ember Island. _Who are you angry at?_ He heard his sister ask, Ty Lee ask, Mai ask. _I’m angry at myself_! He had shouted.

“You’ll figure it out,” he said, stretching out his legs in front of him. “I know it feels all entangled right now, but it will become clear sooner or later.”

“I keep acting out, at my dad, at Sokka, at Aang… They don’t deserve that.” Her voice had a tinge of desperation, Zuko noticed.

“Do you know what it is that makes you unhappy?”

She shrugged, and no one said anything for a while. Zuko glanced aside and saw that she was crying. Instinctively, he reached out, but stopped mid-air, not sure whether she’d appreciate the gesture.

“I just feel like I don’t belong anymore,” she said through her tears. “During the war, everything was clear. We were helping Aang, Aang was going to save the world.”

She exhaled forcefully. “And now he did, and we won the war. And… I don’t know what to do anymore. I thought going back would be easy, but it’s not. All you guys have _stuff_ to do. Suki is the leader of the Kyoshi warriors. Sokka is going to be the next chief. You’re the Fire Lord. Aang is the _Avatar_ , for spirit’s sake.”

“Katara, you’re a master waterbender. You’re one of the bravest people I know. Without you, Aang wouldn’t have made it. None of us would have made it.” Zuko spoke quietly.

“See, that’s exactly the problem. I know everyone sees me as the mom of the group. And you know what, I’m okay with that. But not like this! I’m looking out for everyone, taking care of everyone, saving everyone’s life… I’m Katara of the Water Tribe, but what does that even mean when I have nothing to look forward to anymore?”

She kneaded her parka with her hands, fighting against the tears and losing. Her sobs were heartwrenching. Zuko sat beside her, caught between giving her a hug and making himself invisible.

“Thanks for listening,” she said eventually with a thick voice. “You’re the first person to just… sit and listen.” She smiled, her face glistening wet with tears.

“Katara, I-” Zuko stammered. “You’re more than welcome to come with me to the Fire Nation. I mean… If I’m going to do these reparations right, I want to know what I should help with. And I’m sure your dad could tell me all about it… but it would be so much easier if I had someone at the palace to discuss things with. You could make sure that everything goes according to plan.”

“That’s sweet of you, Zuko. But I want to find my own purpose. My own destiny. Not some kind of pity project. Even if you mean well.”

“I understand,” Zuko said in a hushed voice. He couldn’t even say he was offended. Not really. _Disappointed_ , maybe. But he understood her, probably more than she knew


End file.
